shout out to 2K for letting me get some early game play get a little gauge of the game play before it drops let's get to it let's bring out the starters first goal Chicago [Applause] and forward 6'7 number 44 Patrick [Applause] William at shooting guard standing 6'8 number three Josh Diddy [Applause] at guard 6'5 number zero B B [Applause] white a 610 Center number n n that's ball forward standing 6'5 number eight zck the [Applause] be it's Thursday afternoon and we've got basketball on the agenda welcome to the NBA on 2K sports alongside Hall of Famers Doris Burke and Grant Hill I'm Brian Anderson Ali laforce on the sidelines all right now the opening lineup for Phoenix deal and Allen out on the wing KD and nkit are the big man for him and it's Booker in at the one and for the Bulls Williams and fich are inside Kobe white out there with Josh Giddy and it's LaVine in at the three spot well Grant what should we expect in a veteran heavy matchup like this you know ba it typically means we'll get a clean game these guys have been around for a while and know how to take care of the basketball and it's the Suns to start out outside Durant takes the three yes and it's Booker with the setup oh boy don't allow Kevin Durant to get comfortable from there it could be a long night if you do outside White Allen against LaVine shoots over Allen shot by LaVine no good gives us a chance to catch up with Alli leforce well Billy Donovan had a few moments to share with me and he let me in on their strategy for Devon Booker he said no easy shots for Booker tonight we only want him taking off balance tough looks at least that's our hope sounds like they'll be throwing everything they can at Booker defensively allly thank you and Doris at 7 ft tall and almost 300 lb Yousef nurkic often is the biggest human on the court ba we might as well refer to him as the immovable object this guy has slimmed down he's an incredible shape but nurkic is an old school big and he is a force to be reckoned with around the rim not just because of that size and strength but because of his skill as a passer and a finisher here's Booker Chicago making their last shot there's a screen by nkit and it's Kitty with a [Applause] rebound pass to White no good GRE D that time from Allen boy surprised team missed that the defense just good enough to prevent that bucket Booker for three sends it home from three-point land Booker's got five points Instinct skill the ability to be rise and fire ready Deon Booker yes sir now here's Williams they set the pick outside Laine tried to come right back with a three of his own but it's no good the Suns have gone three three of four off to a nice start pass to Beal there's a screen by nkit the three is up another three for Phoenix you're talking about one of the sweetest shooting guards in the entire NBA Bradley b from Deep yes sir and we'll have a timeout called by Billy Donovan he's going to gather the troops and talk it over all right Doris what's kind of an unsung stat you appreciate about the sun's lineup wow they are so gifted offensively so I'd have to say very good at getting to the free throw line that's important very good at baiting Defenders and putting your opponent into the bonus that's big attacking into coverage they get to spend plenty of time at the free throw line and so it's an underrated Advantage ba you have the camera on you Keep on [Music] Dancing next dancer the sun's making a switch here O'Neal's checked in substitution for the Suns number 0 Royce O'Neal [Music] [Applause] first quarter of ball almost two and A2 minutes [Music] in back to White here's vich second shot opportunity and he drops in the layup off the glass well vvi has got a number of moves he can go to so comfortable this close to the cup Booker the pass to Durant about three minutes gone here in the first quarter can't cash it in from close range Bulls Trail by seven white for three drils it from Deep White's got five now already such a terrific passer love seeing Josh kidy share the we Grant how about Kobe White going from a bench player to one of the league leaders in minutes yeah Kobe played more than 35 minutes per game last season top 10 in the lead we saw white hit another level so he has an exciting future in front of him here's LaVine and the top by LaVine oh what a finish by Zack LaVine off his feet in a hurry folks Phoenix has gone three of four on threes here in this first quarter Booker against white from the Baseline Booker good K Booker he has seven yeah you want to get him going as soon as possible great way for him to start this game he's a guy who if he gets hot he can carry your offense for long stretches now here's white he's got five foul Deon Booker first personal foul first team foul and a closer look here at the scoring breakdown for Phoenix yeah their early focus on outside scoring has paid off they're finding plenty of points from three-point land and the other thing I love how they're making the extra pass they're not settling for the first shot they're going from good to great first one Falls for him for Chicago Smith he's checked in for Williams and it's ball in for LaVine and a change for the Suns plumley's checked in right hits them both and so it's Booker with it he brings it up for the Phoenix Suns outside O'Neal pass to Durant launches it and it's Kenny with a rebound the Bulls have gone four of eight and looking in control there's 39 seconds left in the opening quarter vvi with it and it's stolen by plumbley [Applause] left side O'Neal now here's Booker hounded by ball it's Booker on the wing seven points in the game and he finishes that makes him four out of five a Booker making it look easy in the mid-range ball outside to the inside just three on the clock and vvi gets it to go on the assist by ball from Lonzo ball Devin Booker he's feeling it tonight he's been the driving force for Phoenix hunting for opportunities leading to nine points in the quarter we'll be right back after this word and it's been a pretty even game here after one quarter of play and for Phoenix guys what jumps out to you stat-wise well it seems like they went in looking to do damage from long range and they faced Little Resistance and that was obviously the plan coming in now the big question can they maintain that efficiency from range as a game goes along and this is a star driven league but talk about the importance of role players Grant oh ba a lot of times they're the ones who carry the day you know what you'll get from your stars but when the X Factor ignites that can make the difference white and LaVine are out on the wings Jaylen Smith is out there with buellis and it's ball in at the one spot that's the five out there for the Bulls Phoenix has gone three of five from the perimeter in this game and here's Beal for three Booker that one's in there on the nice assist from Beal Booker's got 12 points in the game if Devin Booker's cooking it's a wrap folks this guy makes the game look easy ball passes to White picked by Smith lets a floater go tipped and now the Suns fast break what balance from Booker and they're building on their lead doing whatever they can to blow this game open one of the things they're doing is identifying favorable matchups and then going at them well the last time the Bulls won a playoff series was back in 2015 gr that was back when Butler and Rose were their leading scores and it just shows you just how long it's been but they've been stuck in mediocrity ever since and right now they are desperate for a breakthrough season and here are the Suns now Chicago making their last shot Booker good I love that Devon Booker isn't afraid to mix things up on the offensive end trying to score inside and does just that and timeout is called by Billy Donovan coach wants to speak to his guys maybe alter some of the game plan fans now on the court your hot Squad get loud and let them hear you heads up fans who wants a free t-shirts [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] the bulls making a switch here Williams is checked in Allen he's checked in for Phoenix [Applause] and it's out of bounds still Chicago's Ball B basketball [Applause] Clos the in on two minutes played here in the second pass to ball plumbley against Smith so it'll be two free throws he was fouled in the act of shooting it goes on Mason plumbley yeah listen jayen Smith that's a great move Defenders can struggle to keep up with him first trip to the free throw line for him in this one that's good from Smith nikol lavich is checked in for ball and a change for the Suns Bowl he's checked in for [Applause] O'Neal Smith hits him [Applause] both Phoenix leading by five outside Booker and he was fouled while in the act of shooting so he'll take two free throws K Booker is a two guard doors what's book do that makes him special at that position I mean so many things in terms of his skill he's an elite shooter he has become an excellent decision maker he can get to the mid-range he's a three-level scorer there's so many things but my favorite thing is watching guy in an NBA Finals play with a broken nose be hit repeatedly and never Flinch his toughness and Competitive Edge is always there nightly