Preview: Shaq to Debut Against Lakers

Shaquille O’Neal is scheduled to make his Phoenix Suns debut tonight as the Lakers travel to Arizona for their 4th and final meeting of the season with the Suns.

What does Kobe Bryant think of this matchup?

“I do not care about that, for the last time,” Bryant said. “Phoenix is at a level we’re trying to get to. Even though they changed their team a little bit by trading Marion, they’re still one of the top teams in the league.

“So it’s a big challenge for us, and I’m interested to see how we stack up.”

The Lakers come in off a 122-93 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday night. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol each scored 23 points before sitting out the final period.

“It was great. It was a pretty big deal for me,” Gasol said. “I’m excited and honored to be here with my teammates and these fans. The way we came out and played defense in the first half was pretty impressive.

“Obviously the crowd had a lot to do with it. They gave us a lot of energy. I had a chance to play my first home game as a Laker, and I wanted to give the fans a little taste of what it’s going to be from now on with me and the team.”

Despite an injured pinky, Kobe Bryant shot 50 percent from the field, including a 6-6 performance at the free throw stripe.

“The X-rays and the diagnosis from the doctor were shocking to everybody, but it feels fine,” said Bryant on his pinky. “I hit it a couple of times and whacked it pretty good. It was a little sore for a couple of minutes and then it went away. I’m used to it now. It’s nothing but a little pain and a little soreness. You’ve just got to deal with it.”

Lamar Odom connected on 7 of his 9 field goal attempts as he went on to finish with 17 points and 15 rebounds. “We’re playing great. We can get better; we could have played better in that third quarter,” said Odom. “Right now we are confident and we expect to win every game.”

The Lakers have taken 2 of the first 3 meetings with the Suns this year, including a 119-98 win in Phoenix earlier this season.

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