Who: Phoenix Suns (5-6) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (11-2)
When: 2:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center — Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: Arizona’s Family 3TV, Arizona’s Family Sports, SUNS+
Listen: KMVP 98.7
The Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns meet for the first time this season in an afternoon tilt at Mortgage Matchup Center. The Lakers are tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the NBA, and come in riding a seven-game winning streak (second only to the Spurs’ 11-game streak). Luka
Doncic is playing at an MVP-caliber level (perhaps an understatement), averaging 38.6 PPG, 7.6 APG, and 7.5 RPG, while shooting 40.8% from three and 48.9% overall.
Behind Luka, the Lakers are paced in scoring by Austin Reaves (24.7 PPG, 40.9 3P%) and Walker Kessler (14.5 PPG). Kessler, in his first year with the Lakers, also brings size and defense, supplying 10.8 RPG and 2.2 BPG, while sitting second in the NBA in dunks this season, with 42. Fellow big man Sandro Mamukelashvili has impressed as of late, scoring 23 points in each of the Lakers’ last two games.
On the other side of the ledger, the Suns have won four of five, with the sole loss in that span coming at the hands of the aforementioned San Antonio Spurs. Over those five games, Devin Booker has averaged 26.6 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 2.0 SPG, and is starting to round into the form that Suns fans are used to seeing from their superstar over the last decade.
Tale of the Tape
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Mark Williams — OUT (Shoulder)
Lakers
- Quentin Grimes — AVAILABLE (Right Finger)
- Austin Reaves — OUT (Left Heel Contusion)
- Cameron Carr — OUT (Illness)
- Bronny James — QUESTIONABLE (Illness)
- Collin Sexton — QUESTIONABLE (Right Orbital Laceration)
- Adou Thiero — QUESTIONABLE (Left Ankle Sprain)
What to Watch For
The Lakers boast the NBA’s best offense, with an offensive rating of 122.7. The Suns, on the other hand, have a defensive rating of 117.6, which ranks 26th in the NBA. If the Suns want a shot at pulling off the upset and not allowing the Lakers to extend their winning streak to eight, their bottom-tier defense will need to slow the Lakers’ top-tier offense.
Austin Reaves being out should, in theory, help. But the Lakers managed fine in the one game this season that they were without Reaves, a 124-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks. In that game, Collin Sexton (18 points and 6 assists) and Mamukelashvili (23 points and 8 rebounds) picked up the slack, and did so while shooting a combined 8-12 from three. Sexton is also questionable for this game, so his presence (or lack thereof) would remove another weapon from the Lakers’ potent offense.
Consistent with their respective offensive and defensive efforts this season, the Lakers also come to town as the NBA’s third-best three-point shooting team this season, shooting a combined 38.3%. Conversely, the Suns have allowed opponents to shoot 37.4% from three this season, good for 25th in the league. Even without Reaves and (possibly) Sexton, the Lakers can still shoot the ball, and the Suns will need to find a way to stop them.
While the Lakers’ offense has been spectacular, one area where they — like the Suns — struggle is in rebounding. Despite the size of Kessler and Mamukelashvili, the Lakers find themselves 27th in the NBA in rebounds per game. The Suns, unfortunately, find themselves dead last in that category. But coming off a game where the Charlotte Hornets out-rebounded them by 21, welcoming a subpar rebounding team to town could be a recipe for some rebounding success.
Lastly, we cannot ignore the fact that Devin Booker and Luka Doncic will be taking the same court. Whenever that happens, there is always a good chance of some extra entertainment. Two superstars with a penchant for gamesmanship and trash talk are always a recipe for entertainment.
Key to a Suns Win
Don’t let Walker Kessler do to them what Wendell Carter, Jr., and Donovan Clingan did to them: 27/13 and 24/11, respectively. Kessler is a big dude, and surprisingly athletic for his size. The Suns have struggled against bigs like him this season, and if those struggles continue, they could be in for a long afternoon. Luka is going to get his, but with Reaves out, the Suns cannot let Kessler go off.
On the other side of the ball, someone needs to help Devin Booker. Book has been fantastic, but the rest of the starters have been hit or miss. While the Lakers’ offense has impressed, its defense is middling. If the Suns want to win this game, they cannot afford to have starters not named Devin Booker combine to shoot 13-33, as they did against the Hornets.
Prediction
This one stays close throughout. Book and Luka put on a show down the stretch, going shot for shot and jab for jab. In the end, the Suns pull out the upset.
