The Los Angeles Lakers saw their four-game win streak snapped on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers. But with some slight hope still remaining at climbing out of the Play-In Tournament, the team looks to get back on track against the Phoenix Suns.
This will not be a fully-powered Suns team facing the Lakers inside the Crypto.com Arena, however, as the team will be resting all four of their stars in Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, DeAndre Ayton and Chris Paul. This means that LeBron James and Durant still have yet to face off on the court since Christmas Day of 2018.
The biggest thing for the Lakers will be re-establishing Anthony Davis inside as the centerpiece of their offense. The Clippers had success in doubling Davis the second he caught the ball and the Lakers were unable to make them pay consistently. As James pointed out, the team has to be prepared for this every game and this is a night where they can work on doing just that.
Davis is a willing and capable passer out of the post and the Lakers have players capable of attacking the opposition on closeouts. D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves, in particular, are both able to knock down open jumpers or get in the paint and create for themselves and other. Getting Malik Beasley and Troy Brown Jr. going from deep would also be a huge positive as both can get scorching hot.
James is continuing to get his rhythm back since returning from injury and is coming off back-to-back 30-point games. The Lakers star is obviously still able to take over at times, but the key for this team is getting everyone going at once.
Getting a strong LeBron night together along with a dominant Davis outing and at least three of the Reaves, Russell, Beasley, Brown and Rui Hachimura group is something we have yet to see and it is what the Lakers need to make the postseason run they are looking for.
But against an undermanned Suns team, it will be the defense that needs to be on point for the Lakers. The team has a tendency to relax on that end and let teams hang around longer than they need to. Simply put the Lakers can not allow someone like Josh Okogie, Cameron Payne or Torrey Craig to have a career night.
Come out locked in on both ends of the floor and the Lakers should take care of business and make this an easy night while working out some of those kinks in their lineups and rotations.
Los Angeles Lakers (41-39) vs. Phoenix Suns (45-35)
7:30 p.m. PT, April 7, 2023
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: Spectrum SportsNet, NBA TV
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: LeBron James
PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
C: Anthony Davis
Key Reserves: Troy Brown Jr., Dennis Schroder, Rui Hachimura, Malik Beasley, Wenyen Gabriel
Projected Suns Starting Lineup:
PG: Cameron Payne
SG: Landry Shamet
SF: Josh Okogie
PF: Torrey Craig
C: Bismack Biyombo
Key Reserves: Terrence Ross, Jock Landale, Damion Lee, Ish Wainright
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