Suns are Team Lakers 'Least' Want to Face in NBA Playoffs
*Editor's update: This article was published just before the Los Angeles Clippers won on Saturday, forcing the Los Angeles Lakers out of contention for the No. 5 seed*
The top half of the Western Conference playoffs are locked, as the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns are all solidified into their spots to have homecourt advantage in the first round of the postseason.
However, the standings get fairly messy after that.
Seeds 5-8 (Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans) are all within one game of each other. Sunday brings the final day of the regular season where all 30 teams will be in action, and we're bound to see drama unfold in real time.
When it comes to the Lakers, they seem to like their chances. After they defeated the Suns on Friday night, Jovan Buha of the The Athletic reported that Lakers players were spotted talking about potential scenarios and discussing playoff hypotheticals.
Los Angeles is destined for some sort of postseason appearance, whether that's in the play-in or regular seeding.
But who would they prefer to face in the first round of action?
In that same article from Buha, he lists the four different possibilities for the Lakers in the opening round of play - and the Suns are last on that list.
Suns are Team Lakers 'Least' Want to Face in NBA Playoffs
"At full strength, Phoenix projects as the best team in the West. With Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the Suns have two top-15 players. At his peak, Durant is the best pure scorer in the NBA, and perhaps the best the league has ever seen," said Buha.
"Booker is the best No. 2 option — if it’s even fair to call him that — among the West’s top four. The Suns have largely dominated the Lakers since their 2021 first-round series win."
The Suns have won the previous six-of-eight matchups with the Lakers, though LA has brought home the last two.
Buha did offer some reasoning as to why the Lakers might prefer the Suns, however.
"Phoenix will likely be more vulnerable earlier in the postseason, before they’re battle-tested and in rhythm. Chris Paul isn’t the player he was two years when the Suns beat the Lakers. Remember: the Lakers were up 2-1 on the Suns in 2021 before Anthony Davis went down in Game 4 with a groin injury," Buha said.
"They don’t have answers for Davis or LeBron James. The Suns rank 28th in the NBA in free throws allowed per game, indicating that the paint-heavy Lakers could exploit Phoenix’s over-aggressive tendencies."
However, the Suns at full strength are a scary team for anybody to deal with, let alone a Lakers squad that might not even have the best player on the floor at the time.
"This is the one potential Lakers matchup — with Denver being the other — in which an opponent could claim to have the best player in the series. Durant has been better than James and Davis over the past couple of seasons. Throw in their 3-point shooting skill, and the chemistry and continuity of their core, and Phoenix projects as the Lakers’ toughest possible first-round opponent," said Buha.
The Suns could also face the Warriors or Clippers in the first round of play.
For those curious, Phoenix finished ahead of the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.
