The Phoenix Suns (1-0) will play their second-straight game in Los Angeles tonight, this time against the Lakers (1-0) after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 116-113 in overtime in their season opener Wednesday.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This victory was a very choppy game for the Suns with a mix of highs and lows, but Phoenix was able to come back from down 10 points in the fourth quarter to ultimately walk out of the first game at Intuit Dome with a win. The Suns had 22 turnovers on the night with Kevin Durant (7), Devin Booker (4) and Jusuf Nurkić (4), combining for 15 of them. After stressing it all offseason, the Suns attempted 38 3-pointers in the victory even against a stout Clippers defense, converting on 15 of them (39.5%).
The Suns also played some sound defense of their own, as Los Angeles went 8-of-29 (27.6%) from 3 and also had 22 turnovers. Kevin Durant had 12 of his team-high 25 points in the fourth quarter, while Bradley Beal was the most efficient scorer on the team in the victory with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 4-for-6 from 3.
Los Angeles defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-103 in its season opener Tuesday behind 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks from Anthony Davis. LeBron James (16 points, five assists and four rebounds) and Bronny James became the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game together in the win. Compared to the Suns, the Lakers looked really connected for this being their first game of the season due to the continuity they carried over from last season.
Tonight, the Suns will look to emulate this and continue their new strategy of shooting more 3-pointers. Phoenix also cannot allow Davis to have another monster game like he did on Tuesday. As always, a lot of eyes will be on the matchup of Durant vs. LeBron James, especially after the two, along with Booker and Davis played on Team USA and won an Olympic gold medal together this summer.
YEAR 17 vs. YEAR 22 ????
KD and the Suns visit LeBron and the Lakers tonight at 10:00pm/et on ESPN! #KiaTipOff24 pic.twitter.com/CdN7zlWw4H
— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2024
The Lakers and Suns squared off two times in the preseason, splitting the contests 1-1 with the Lakers winning in overtime in Phoenix’s preseason finale. Last year, the Lakers won the season series between the two teams 3-2, but the Suns took the victory in the last two matchups by an average margin of 14 points.
Bradley Beal (right shoulder soreness) and Grayson Allen (right Achilles soreness) are both probable for Phoenix, while Josh Okogie (right hamstring strain) is out.
Local Game Information
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. MST
Location: Crypto.com Arena
TV Channel: ESPN
Radio: Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream: Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) October 25, 2024
Betting Odds
Line: LAL -2.5
O/U: 228.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Grayson Allen (right Achilles soreness) PROBABLE | Bradley Beal (right shoulder soreness) PROBABLE | Josh Okogie (right hamstring strain) OUT
Los Angeles Lakers: Jalen Hood-Schifino (illness) DOUBTFUL | Jarred Vanderbilt (right foot surgery recovery) OUT | Christian Wood (right knee surgery recovery) OUT | Christian Koloko (return to competition reconditioning) OUT
Starters (Projected)
Phoenix Suns: Tyus Jones, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Los Angeles Lakers: D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Limiting turnovers
- Containing Anthony Davis
- Rebounding
- Attempting more 3-pointers
- Playing in transition
Prediction
Suns 115 – Lakers 111
I think the Clippers, based on the way they play defense and are coached by Tyronn Lue, threw a lot of hurdles at the Suns for how they wanted to come out in the first game of the season, with Durant and Booker specifically taking a much lower number of field goal attempts than expected in the first three quarters. Tonight could paint a much better picture of how the Suns want to play this season. With that said, the Lakers looked to be in midseason form in the first game of the year, so the Suns will have to either take them out of their sets or show that they too can use the continuity they developed together last season for a full game.
This was also be a battle of two new coaches: the experienced Mike Budenholzer of the Suns and the first-year JJ Redick of the Lakers. Can Budenholzer outsmart Redick in the first meeting? I predict he will in an action-packed game that comes down to the wire.
Last Meeting (Feb. 25, 2024)
Jusuf Nurkić snatches double-double, Suns beat Lakers 123-113
Injury Report
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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
