With the regular season less than a week away, the Los Angeles Lakers head on the road for a rematch with the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.
The Suns edged out the Lakers in the first preseason meeting and these two teams will meet twice in the first four regular season games, so LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker will be very well acclimated.
James is out of this game, however, which changes what was supposed to be a dress rehearsal for the Lakers in their penultimate preseason game. The last one will be on Friday in the second game of a back-to-back so it will be interesting to see if James and other key players suit up for that one. After sitting out Thursday morning’s shootaround though, LeBron is out against the Suns, per Jared Greenberg of TNT:
LeBron James will not play tonight for the Lakers at the Suns on @NBAonTNT, per source.
— Jared Greenberg (@JaredSGreenberg) October 17, 2024
Additionally, Rui Hachimura is also out due to some calf tightness. While James and Hachimura out against the Suns, Davis should be in the lineup. He is averaging 17.3 points and 9.3 rebounds on 57.9% shooting so far this preseason.
The Lakers to get more comfortable in JJ Redick’s offense will only allow for the rest of the roster to thrive around their stars. Austin Reaves shot the ball slightly better in the Lakers’ recent contest against the Golden State Warriors. Shooting has otherwise been one of the biggest issues for the Lakers with the bench, in particular, struggling against the Warriors. Max Christie and Gabe Vincent were a combined 0-for-8, though Dalton Knecht had an outstanding late stretch and continues to look like a key rotation piece for this team moving forward.
Perhaps the biggest thing to watch for the Lakers might be the third quarter. It doomed them against the Warriors and was an Achilles heel of the team much of last season. If the Lakers plan on taking a leap out of that Play-In Tournament level, fixing their issues coming out of the half is imperative.
The Suns are also looking to take a leap with a new coach and figure out the right mix of players around their superstars. Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal get most of the attention, but the team is expecting center Jusuf Nurkic back in the lineup so perhaps he will provide a bit more resistance to Anthony Davis in the paint.
Point guard Tyus Jones will be key for the Suns this season as he will be setting the table for the stars, while the likes of Royce O’Neale, Grayson Allen and Josh Okogie provide defense and shooting off the bench.
These are two divisional rivals who will be looking to send a message and while normally the results in the preseason don’t mean much, the fact that they will be seeing each other again in a week when the games count make this a bit more important.
Los Angeles Lakers (1-3) vs. Phoenix Suns (3-1)
7:00 p.m. PT, October 17, 2024
Footprint Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
TV: TNT, Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Max Christie
PF: Cam Reddish
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Dalton Knecht, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Bronny James
Projected Suns Starting Lineup:
PG: Tyus Jones
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Bradley Beal
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Jusuf Nurkic
Key Reserves: Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, Josh Okogie, Monte Morris, Mason Plumlee
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