Suns to face Nuggets, Lakers in 2023 preseason schedule

Phoenix Suns basketball is less than two months away and that’s when they’ll get their first shot at the champs as the preseason schedule was released Monday.

The Suns’ preseason slate starts Oct. 8 when they take on former head coach Monty Williams and the Detroit Pistons at the Little Caesars Arena in the Motor City at noon. Williams had a record of 194-115 with Phoenix, leading the team to the 2021 NBA Finals and winning the 2021-22 NBA Coach of the Year award.

They will shift back to the Western Conference when they face the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Oct. 10.

The Nuggets knocked the Suns out of the playoffs last season in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals, winning 4-2. Denver took the first two at home, then Phoenix took the next two in the Valley. But injuries to Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul left Phoenix susceptible to the exploits of eventual NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, allowing Denver to take the final two games of the series.

Phoenix will then play a home-and-home with the Portland Trail Blazers on Oct. 12 and Oct. 16, going to the Moda Center in Oregon first.

Finally, the Suns will wrap up the preseason with a matchup against the Lakers in Palm Desert, Calif., at Acrisure Arena.

All five games will be broadcast on Arizona’s Family (channel 3) for free following the offseason move to Gray Television in July. It’s also streaming on Kiswe. All games can be heard on Arizona Sports.

Phoenix Suns 2023 preseason schedule

Sun., Oct. 8	Detroit Pistons	Little Caesars Arena, Detroit	12:00 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 10	Denver Nuggets	Footprint Center, Phoenix	7:00 p.m.
Thurs., Oct. 12	Portland Trail Blazers	Moda Center, Portland	7:00 p.m.
Mon., Oct. 16	Portland Trail Blazers	Footprint Center, Phoenix	7:00 p.m.
Thurs., Oct. 19	Los Angeles Lakers	Acrisure Arena, Palm Desert	7:00 p.m.