Suns Open Season on Road Against Trail Blazers

The Phoenix Suns will open the 1988-89 National Basketball Assn. season on the road Nov. 4 against the Portland Trail Blazers and Nov. 5 at Golden State before returning to Phoenix for their Nov. 9 home opener against the Dallas Mavericks, the team announced Tuesday.

With the expansion of the NBA to 25 teams and the schedule remaining at 82 games, the Suns will play fewer games against several teams than they did last season.

The Suns will play Midwest Division teams four times each instead of five and Seattle and Portland five times each instead of six. They also will play the expansion Miami Heat four times and the Charlotte Hornets twice.

Phoenix will face its longest road trip in early March when it will be away from home for six games. The schedule also includes three four-game road trips. The longest home stand will be five games in early February.

Highlights of the 41-game home schedule include the first of three visits by the world champion Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 26 and a March 22 date against the Chicago Bulls, led by NBA scoring champion Michael Jordan.