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What: Phoenix Suns (2-4) at Los Angeles Lakers (3-3)
When: 7:30PM AZ Time
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles
Watch: Fox Sports AZ and NBA League Pass
Listen: AZ Sports 98.7FM and KSUN 1400AM (Spanish)
Coming off their impressive overtime win against the New Orleans Pelicans, T.J. Warren, Devin Booker and company will face off on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight.
The Lakers are themselves coming off of a drubbing of the Golden State Warriors, whom they defeated 117-97 on Friday.
To win this game, the Suns will continue to rely on strong play from Warren, who is having a breakout season so far, averaging 22 points and 6 rebounds and 2 steals per game. In the overtime win against the Pelicans, it was a late Warren tip-in that sealed the deal.
The team as a whole will likely have to work on the defensive end to contain the dynamic Lakers offense. So far, the Suns’ defense has been porous, having allowed more than 110 points against in 5 of their 6 games. The team will also likely need to do a better job of running set plays on offense. So far this season the Suns are averaging just 18 assists per game, 28th in the league.
The Lakers are off to a hotter start than many expected, and will look to continue that hot start against the Suns. The Lakers have a surprisingly balanced team this season, with D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Lou Williams all contributing pretty evenly to the team’s scoring.
The bellwether for this game will be Larry Nance Jr. He poses a matchup problem for the Suns with his combination of size and athleticism. If he can be contained, the Suns should have a pretty good shot at winning in Los Angeles. The bench, which has been great for the Lakers, will need to continue to play well.