The Phoenix Suns (19-18, 8th in Western Conference) look to avenge an 0-3 record so far this season against the Los Angeles Lakers (19-19, 9th in Western Conference) tonight in LA. The Suns will be completely healthy outside of Damion Lee (who underwent knee surgery this offseason and hasn’t played) for this time this season. These two teams have both had late struggles with the Lakers losing nine of their 13 games, and the Suns falling in three of their last four contests. However, LA enters tonight having won two straight, while Phoenix has lost two straight. The Suns are 2-4 this season in games that all of their Big 3 have played. The last time these two teams met was on Dec. 5, when LA pulled out a controversial 106-103 victory after many thought they were awarded a timeout late when the Suns would have had an easy basket to tie it up.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Local Game Information
Start Time: 8:00 p.m. MST
Location:Â Crypto.com Arena
TV Channel: TNT
Radio:Â Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream:Â Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) January 11, 2024
Betting Odds
Line: PHX -1.5
O/U:Â 238.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Drew Eubanks (illness) OUT | Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Los Angeles Lakers:Â LeBron James (left ankle peroneal tendinopathy) AVAILABLE | Anthony Davis (left ankle sprain/bone bruise) AVAILABLE | Cam Reddish (facial laceration) AVAILABLE | Christian Wood (migraine) OUT | Rui Hachimura (left calf sprain) OUT | Gabe Vincent (left knee surgery) OUT
Starters (Projected)
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Los Angeles Lakers:Â LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, Anthony Davis
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Play full 48-minute game
- Find consistent rotation of players around Big 3 with everyone healthy
- Limiting Anthony Davis: How will Jusuf Nurkić matchup with him? What will Suns do with limited options at center off the bench?
- Figuring out defensive schemes
- Playing with pace
Prediction
Lakers 120 – Suns 115
Anthony Davis might prove too much to handle for the Suns tonight, as he has shown the first three matchups. The Suns have not shown enough with the Big 3 to pick them on the road against a team that has beat them three times already this and in five straight games total. Phoenix has shown that it can play good in spurts with the Big 3, the biggest key for the Suns tonight is playing a full 48 minutes especially against a good team like the Lakers.
Last Time Out
The Los Angeles Clippers (23-130 blew out the Phoenix Suns (19-19) 138-111 on Monday night, a game that marked the second night of a back to back for both teams. The Clippers shot 67% from the field in the first half, outscoring Phoenix 71-63. Los Angeles then continued shooting well and shut down the Suns’ offense, capping off the game by winning the fourth quarter 37-20. This came just one day after the Memphis Grizzlies won the fourth quarter 35-18 in their 121-115 victory over the Suns Sunday. For the game, LA shot 53-of-85 (62%) from the field and made 15-of-29 (52%) threes. Kevin Durant led the scoring for the Suns, finishing with 30 points (10-17 FG) and seven rebounds. Devin Booker had 20 points (8-14 FG), five assists and six turnovers. Bradley Beal had 15 points (7-15 FG) and two steals.
After a foul-ridden fourth quarter that featured 23 free throws by the Los Angeles Lakers and sparked some fiery comments by Toronto Raptors’ coach Darko Rajaković, the Lakers (19-19) defeated the Raptors 132-131 Tuesday night. Anthony Davis scored 41 points on 13-of-17 shooting in the victory with 20 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. LeBron James finished with 22 points and 12 assists, as the Lakers finally pieced together two straight wins for the first time in a month. Both LA and Toronto shot over 54% from the field, and the Lakers won despite the Raptors shooting 49% from deep. In total, seven Lakers scored in double figures in the victory.
Flashback: Last Meeting (Dec. 5, 2023)
Suns lose to Lakers: drama, turnovers, and controversal ending
Preview: Team injury reports
Phoenix Suns will be fully healthy vs. Lakers tomorrow night
Statuses of LeBron James and Anthony Davis for tomorrow’s Lakers vs. Suns matchup
Preview: The Suns’ historically bad fourth quarters
Preview: Frank Vogel comments after loss to Clippers
Frank Vogel’s vision as Suns aim for redemption against Lakers
Frank Vogel Remaining Confident after Blowout Loss to Clippers with Big 3 All Healthy
Frank Vogel Explains Decision to Bench Jusuf Nurkić in Second Half vs. Clippers
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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
