Suns, Nuggets to play first outdoor game in modern era

[underpants]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2008-02-19-suns-nuggets-outdoors_N.htm

The Suns hold claim to staging the NBA's first outdoor game but it will not be by virtue of today's announcement that they are playing Denver in an outdoor preseason game Oct. 11 in Indian Wells, Calif.
Phoenix made that history in 1972 when it played the league's only other outdoor games ever in Puerto Rico. Considering one game was in a baseball stadium with fans behind chain-link fences and one was in a covered arena with no side walls to keep birds off the court, this is the first modern try at outdoor basketball.

The game will be played at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, which has the look of a roof-less NBA arena because it is only 8 years old and boasts loge seating and 44 suites. It is a 16,100-seat stadium that is the Pacific Life Open home.

TNT will broadcast the night game exclusively.

Tickets, priced at $10 to $100, will go on sale Saturday at 11 a.m. on ticketmaster.com and at Ticketmaster outlets. The drive takes four hours from Phoenix.