Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Preview, Predictions and Stats

The third day of the NBA Cup group stage will be characterized by the spectacular match between the Phoenix Suns (9-7) and the Los Angeles Lakers (10-6). Both teams will have all their weapons for this match, in which they will try to put an end to their respective negative series of results.

Date and time of the Suns vs Lakers game

Data: November 26.

Tempo: These are the start times for the Suns vs. Lakers depending on time zone.

headquarters: Footprint Center (Phoenix, Arizona)

Quintetti dei Suns vs. Lakers

Both teams will dress up this day at the Footprint Center. The Suns return Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal for this game, who had missed their team’s last seven and five games, respectively. For his part, Anthony Davis has been classified as probable despite the foot discomfort, so the Lakers will also take the field with their entire recent starting lineup.

Latest news for the Suns: injuries and form

Arizona is smiling from ear to ear after learning that Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal will be available for this game. And no wonder: Phoenix is ​​1-6 without Durant and 0-5 since Beal was injured. In four of those last five losses, the Suns have lost by ten or more points. In their most recent defeat they were beaten at home by the New York Knicks.

Thus, Mike Budenholzer’s men will be more than happy to recover the pair and thus distribute, once again, the offensive responsibility, which had fallen, above all, on a defeated Devin Booker: his 33 points were of no use against the New Yorkers or against the 44 he scored against the Timberwolves in his fiefdom on November 16th. “Getting that extra power back into the team will help us a lot,” rookie Ryan Dunn said.

The Suns enjoyed nearly a week off, so they had plenty of time to review video, fix mistakes, make adjustments and almost completely reset their rotation. Furthermore, they have an extra motivation: obtaining the victory would allow them to match the National Lakers, current champions of the NBA Cup, with a record of 2-1 in the tournament group and keeping their options open to qualify for the playoffs for the title

Player to Watch: Kevin Durant

The Phoenix Suns player needed more returns and he does it in the best possible moment against a stellar rival. With him on the court, Arizona were real rollers: a record of 8-1, outscoring their rivals by 7.8 points per hundred possessions. During his seven-game injury absence, quite the opposite: just one win and a Net Rating of -10.4, the third-worst in the league in this stretch. If it is true that Bradley Beal has also missed several games, it is equally true that these Suns need Durant to complete the duels. and the Lakers They are doing well: they scored 30 points in each of the two games in which they faced each other in October.

Last minute of the Lakers: injuries and form

Los Angeles Lakers They have lost their last two games, both played at the Staples Center in the Californian city. 48 hours after narrowly losing to the Orlando Magic, the Angelenos suffered one of their most painful losses of the season to the Denver Nuggets by a score of 127-102.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis, with 18 and 14 points respectively, had one of their worst performances of the season, although what coach JJ Redick liked least was the poor defensive performance in the second half, when they allowed 70 points to their rival. “Clearly, our competitive spirit was never there,” the trainer of the Lakers after the game.

Despite these recent setbacks, the Lakers sit in fourth place in the Western Conference with a record of 10-6. Redick’s arrival has given new life to the team, especially with regards to the fluidity of the ball and the variety of offensive systems: they are fourth in the table offensive rating. However, they also have the fourth-worst defense, so they will have to significantly improve their performances on this end of the pitch if they want to stop the Suns’ tremendous arsenal. If they win in Arizona, they will obtain their third victory in the NBA Cup and certify qualification for the next round.

Player to watch: Anthony Davis

What LeBron James is doing a month after turning 40 is simply enormous, but on which much of the fans’ hopes are really pinned. Lakers for this course are Anthony Davis’s back. In attack and defense, Inter are performing at MVP level and have already scored at least 35 points in six games. One of these, in fact, in the victory against Phoenix on 25 October. It is no coincidence that in his worst game of the season – last Saturday against Denver – and the one in which he was unable to play – November 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies – the Lakers suffered two of their worst defeats.

Suns vs Lakers: History of the matchup

This will be the third matchup between the two franchises in just a month of the regular season. The previous two took place in the first week, with a victory for each team. In fact, that loss to the Lakers on October 26, with 35 points from Anthony Davis, was the only one Arizona suffered in its first nine games. Of course, the head to head The historian smiles completely at the interests of Los Angeles: 152 victories, against the 118 of the Suns.

Pronostico Suns vs. Lakers

The Durant-LeBron duel. One of the best duels – in terms of position, quality and battles for the ring – that the recent history of the NBA has given us. The clash inside regular season LeBron fares well (19-9), even if his stay in the Golden State Warriors gives Durant victory in the playoffs (9-5). Both players usually perform at a good level when facing each other. Suns and Lakers They have one win each this year, but Durant has shined individually over LeBron by scoring 30 points in each game. The one in Akron had to do it shape averaging 16.5 points and 8.0 assists. If Phoenix’s defense can limit their production, they will have victory in their hands.

Fuel again. We’re all wondering what Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal will be like after several weeks away from the courts. Mainly the former, who until his injury averaged 27.6 points with a field goal accuracy of 55.3%. THE Lakers They are not good on defense, so they risk suffering a lot if Durant and Beal return to their top levels. The Suns will have a lot of ground gained without imposing their style.

Punish the paint. The emergence of Dalton Knecht provides a new and necessary way to score outside, but the Lakers prefer to punish near the rim. In fact, they score 52.5 points per game in the area, ninth best in the NBA and almost fifteen points more than those recorded by Phoenix. The Suns are not only not good at scoring in the zone, nor are they good at defending it: their rivals hit 46.3% of their attempts, a percentage only worse than the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, with 46.4%.

Where to watch Suns vs. Lakers

The match between Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers can be seen in Spain through the NBA League Pass Subscription.

(Photo on copertina at Christian Petersen/Getty Images)