The Phoenix Suns (4-4) play in their first in-season tournament group play game at home tomorrow against the Los Angeles Lakers (3-5).
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!We already saw these two teams get competitive in LeBron James’ and Kevin Durant’s first matchup since 2018 in the second game this season, which the Lakers won 100-95.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant dueled off in a #KiaTipOff23 thriller, with the Lakers coming out on top 🔥
LeBron: 21 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST, 2 BLK, 2 STL
KD: 39 PTS, 11 REB pic.twitter.com/yZXUwdXjXG— NBA (@NBA) October 27, 2023
However, the stakes for tomorrow’s game are about as high as they have ever been nine games into a season due to the in-season tournament.
The Suns are the only team with a record of .500 or better in their five-team group. Matter of fact, the other four teams in their group – the Lakers, Utah Jazz (2-7), Portland Trail Blazers (3-5) and Memphis Grizzlies (1-7) – are currently the four worst teams in the Western Conference standings.
The Suns face those teams in that order. They play against the Lakers tomorrow (11/10), next Friday (11/17) at Utah, the following Tuesday (11/21) at home vs. the Blazers and finally on the road against the Grizzlies that Friday (11/24).
Looking at the Suns’ group, you can tell that only the Lakers should pose a problem to them, which is exactly why tomorrow’s game is a must win. Say if both the Lakers and Suns finish group play 3-1, the winner of tomorrow’s game will make it to Vegas because the head-to-head matchup is what decides the tiebreaker.
If the Suns and Lakers are serious about the in-season tournament, then tomorrow’s game should feel like a playoff atmosphere. We already witnessed the competition level increase in last Friday’s opening games.
Friday's average margin of victory was 4.9 points, the second smallest on a single night (minimum 7 games) in the last 10 seasons.
NBA In-Season Tournament brought the intensity 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3e2kDR5EDC
— NBA (@NBA) November 4, 2023
The Matchup
Phoenix is currently on a two game-winning streak after defeating the Chicago Bulls 116-115 in overtime last night. The Lakers have dropped three straight after a 128-94 blowout loss to the Houston Rockets yesterday.
Regarding the teams’ stars, Devin Booker’s availability status will be announced soon after he missed the last three games with a right calf strain. Bradley Beal (low spasms) looks to be back healthy after making his season debut last night. Anthony Davis did not against the Rockets and is listed as questionable for tomorrow with an injured left hip.
With increased stakes and at least Durant vs. James, tomorrow night should be a very fun matchup. The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. MST.
Biggest Takeaways from Suns’ 116-115 OT Victory over the Bulls
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
