Will time off and the return of Durant and Beal be enough to get Phoenix back on track?
Who: Phoenix Suns (9-7) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10-6)
When: 8:00pm Arizona Time
Where: Footprint Center — Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: TNT
Listen: KMVP 98.7
Get right. That is what the Suns are looking to do after a five-game skid that has them in the middle of the Western Conference standings. It’s been a steep decline over the past couple of weeks, but thankfully help is on the way. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal will be back, on Phoenix needs them.
Suns’ Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal plan to return to the lineup against the Los Angeles Lakers in Tuesday’s NBA Cup game in Phoenix, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/wH2GUhJTvo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 25, 2024
The team is looking to get back on track and they’ll do so tonight against the Lakers, a team that has overtaken them in the Western Conference standings and sits at 10-6 on the year.
Yep. The Lakers. Again. This will be the third time we’ve seen them this season (not counting the two times we saw them in the preseason). I’m quite sick of seeing L.A., and thankfully, this will be the last time until March 16. Ahhh, 110 days of not seeing that ugly shade of purple. Sign me up.
What adds extra intrigue to this matchup is the return to normalcy, at least on paper. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are both expected to play, offering hope that their presence can propel Phoenix to a win. The Suns couldn’t get the job done at full strength on October 25, falling 123-116 to the Lakers. However, just three nights later, they bounced back with a 109-105 victory, splitting the season series so far.
The Lakers, who put together a six-game winning streak earlier this month, are coming off of back-to-back losses at the hands of the Orlando Magic and Denver Nuggets.
But hey, health is finally making its triumphant return to the Phoenix lineup. Oh, and don’t forget, this is an NBA Cup Game! Yes, the stakes are — checks notes — marginally higher. And brace yourself for the ultimate sensory experience: the blinding brilliance of the Suns’ orange court. Who needs sunglasses when you’ve got that retina-searing masterpiece?
Probable Starters
Injury Report
Suns
- Kevin Durant — PROBABLE (Left Calf Strain)
- Bradley Beal — PROBABLE (Left Calf Strain)
- Collin Gillespie — OUT (Right Ankle Sprain)
Lakers
- Anthony Davis — PROBABLE (Left Plantar Fasciitis)
- Jaxson Hayes — OUT (Ankle)
- Jarred Vanderbilt — OUT (Foot)
- Bronny James — OUT (Permission Slip Not Signed)
- Christian Wood — OUT (Knee)
Uniform Matchup
What to Watch For
Continuity.
The return of Durant and Beal is undoubtedly a much-needed shot in the arm for the Suns, but let’s not pretend their reintegration will be seamless. Both players are coming off extended absences and rust is bound to make an appearance. Timing might be off, rotations could stumble, and those smooth offensive sets we saw during Phoenix’s earlier seven-game win streak? They’ll need some fine-tuning to find their rhythm again.
Continuity, after all, isn’t something you can just snap back into; it takes reps, adjustments, and patience. And in the high-stakes world of NBA basketball, patience is rarely in abundance. Just ask the Phoenix fanbase.
Key to a Suns Win
Play smart and avoid fouling.
Ah, the Lakers. The team that somehow manages to mesmerize officials with their unsightly shade of purple, leaving whistles mysteriously biased in their favor. No team in the league gets to the line more than the Lakers, who average a staggering 26.2 free throw attempts per game. And, as if by magic, they also commit the second-fewest fouls in the entire NBA. Coincidence? We think not.
Phoenix will be looking to establish a rhythm in this game, but the Lakers have a knack for disrupting that flow. They excel at creating contact and getting rewarded for it, while also bumping players off their spots without so much as a whistle. It’s going to take some serious mental toughness for the Suns to overcome both the Lakers and the officials on Tuesday night.
Prediction
I’m taking the optimistic route on this one, partly because I’m an idiot who still believes, and partly because I genuinely think the time off, combined with the return of Durant and Beal, can elevate this team to a win.
Suns 113, Lakers 109