Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said he will go with the same starters tonight - that means Earl Watson, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox and Kurt Thomas.

Shaquille O'Neal is not in the house tonight. He went back to Miami to take care of personal business there before returning to Phoenix.

And with Shawn Marion now gone, Phoenix most likely will start Boris Diaw in his place. That gives the Suns a starting five of Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Diaw and Amare Stoudemire.

Carlesimo said it's important that the Sonics shoot more free throw than the Suns because Phoenix shoots so many 3-pointers and gets so many easy buckets in transition.

That was not the case in Seattle's last game against the Suns on Jan. 3. Phoenix went 24-of-35, while Seattle went 14-of-18.

Wonder why Kevin Durant is only averaging 4.2 rebounds a contest? Part of the reason might be his responsibility to get back defensively and protect the basket in transition, Durant said. In Seattle's defensive scheme, the point guard, shooting guard and small forward are responsible for protecting the basket, so Durant can't crash the boards offensively, he said.

I also saw Tom Chambers in the press lounge just now. He's a little gray around the edges but still looks like he can play. Chambers is a pregame and postgame analyst for the Suns.