Who: Phoenix Suns (44-36) @ Los Angeles Lakers (51-29)
When: 7:30pm Arizona Time
Where: Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports
Listen: KMVP 98.7
Two games remain for the Phoenix Suns, and this one against the Los Angeles Lakers carries little weight. After beating the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, the Suns locked up home court in the first Play-In game. If they had dropped that one, the conversation shifts. This is the fifth meeting with the Lakers this season,
and it would have added another division result that could have mattered in a tiebreaker with the Clippers. That path is gone now.
So the focus turns to what is in front of them. The Suns are closing out the season, managing rest, and preparing for the Play-In game next Tuesday. Agree with it or not, that is the reality.
For the Lakers, this one matters. The Western Conference standings are packed tight between the three and five seeds, and Los Angeles sits right in the middle at fourth. The Nuggets are a game ahead, and the Lakers are tied with the Rockets while holding the tiebreaker. A loss here complicates their push to host a First Round series.
The challenge for LA is real. Luka Docic is out for the foreseeable future, and Austin Reaves is out as well. That leaves LeBron James carrying the load at 41, and he has shown he is willing to do so. In their last game, he delivered a performance that reminded everyone what he can still be.
If the Lakers want to hold onto that fourth seed, it may take another one of those nights. The Suns have played them well this season, and waiting for LeBron is Dillon Brooks…
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Devin Booker — OUT (Right Ankle Injury Management)
- Jordan Goodwin — OUT (Left Ankle Sprain)
- Jalen Green — QUESTIONABLE (Right Knee Soreness)
- Haywood Highsmith — OUT (Knee Injury Management)
Lakers
- Luka Doncic — OUT (Left Hamstring)
- Jaxson Hayes — OUT (Left Foot)
- Luke Kennard — QUESTIONABLE (Left Finger)
- Austin Reaves — OUT (Left Oblique)
What to Watch For
The obvious storyline here is the Dillon Brooks versus LeBron James dynamic. These are two players who do not like each other, and it shows. Dillon sees LeBron as a rival. LeBron treats Dillon with a certain level of indifference. Still, there is something about going at LeBron that brings out a different level of engagement from Brooks, and that is something worth watching.
One of my favorite moments this week came from a video the Suns’ social media team put out. They have a great feel for those quick questions as players walk into the arena, and the answers can be telling. This week, they asked who each player would want to guard from any era. You heard the usual names, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, etc. Dillon Brooks had a different answer. LeBron James. He understood the assignment, and now we get to see it play out tonight.
I will also be watching the rookies, especially in whatever minutes they can find. That has been one of the more enjoyable parts of this season. The team has exceeded expectations and built a foundation for what comes next, and at the same time, there has been an influx of young players that invites everyone to evaluate, to project, to wonder what they can become.
Night to night, it becomes part of the experience. You watch, you analyze, you ask questions. Who are these players, where are they trending, and what could they be? That is part of the fun. I am looking forward to more Rasheer Fleming and Maluach minutes.
Key to a Suns Win
Be disruptive. That has been one of the challenges for the Suns over the past few weeks. A big part of that traces back to Dillon Brooks missing 18 games with a broken hand, and now working his way back into form. Before the injury, he was the tone setter, the one who brought energy and disruption to a team that often gives up size and has to rely on tenacity to stay effective. If the Suns want to win this game, that is where it starts. Set the tone. Make things uncomfortable.
The other factor is simple. Hit your three pointers. This is a team that leans heavily on the three, and the numbers tell the story. In wins, they shoot 38.66% from beyond the arc. In losses, it drops to 33.2%.
If the Suns bring that disruptive edge and knock down their threes, they have a path to beat LA and make things difficult for them.
Prediction
The Lakers are beat up, and LeBron is 41. That matters, especially at this point in the season. The Suns do not like the Lakers, and that always comes through in how these games are played. Even with Devin Booker sitting, there is still an opportunity here. The path is there if they bring the right energy and execution.
I think they take it. The Suns go into LA and win tonight.
Suns 119, Lakers 113
