The Los Angeles Lakers, who have won seven of their last nine games, are aiming to continue their winning streak when they take on the Phoenix Suns.
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The Los Angeles Lakers, who have won seven of their last nine games, are aiming to continue their winning streak when they take on the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. This game is crucial for both teams as it could impact their standings in the Western Conference playoffs.
Currently, the Phoenix Suns are in eighth place in the West, holding a 2.5-game lead over the Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams played back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday after the All-Star break.
The Lakers had a mixed bag of results, bouncing back from a 128-110 loss to Golden State on Thursday with a 123-118 win over San Antonio at home on Friday. LeBron James, who sat out the Warriors game due to an ankle injury, came back strong against the Spurs, scoring 30 points, dishing out nine assists, and grabbing seven rebounds.
Friday was LeBron James’ 50th game of the 2023-24 season, and he’s been in more than 56 regular-season games only once in his six seasons with the Lakers. That was in the COVID-affected 2019-20 season when he played 67 games.
For the Suns, Beal (muscle injury) and Lee (knee injury) will not be playing the game. As for the Lakers, Vanderbilt (foot injury), Vincent (knee injury) and Wood (knee injury) will sit this one out. Besides, James and Davis are also questionable for the game.
LeBron James missed two games in a row for the first time this season. He was absent from the Lakers’ final game before the All-Star break, a 138-122 win against Utah on Feb. 14, and then missed the game against Golden State on Thursday, which the Lakers lost.
James is putting up 24.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, which are both second on the team to Anthony Davis, who’s averaging 25.0 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. James is also dishing out 7.8 assists per game.
The Lakers are aiming to win the season series with a 4-1 advantage. They won three games against Phoenix earlier in the season on Oct. 26, Nov. 10, and in an in-season tournament contest on Dec. 5. However, the Suns won the most recent meeting on Jan. 11.
In the 127-109 victory for Phoenix in Los Angeles, it was the first time in the four matchups that the Suns had Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal all playing.
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