Phoenix Suns: Two Keys to Victory Against Los Angeles Lakers
The Phoenix Suns are on the road tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at 7:00 PM PST.
What will it take for the Suns to get back on track after a loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday afternoon?
Bismack Biyombo's Defense
With Deandre Ayton out of the lineup due to a hip injury, Phoenix will have to rely on Bismack Biyombo to lock down Anthony Davis in the paint.
Biyombo started in place of Ayton against the Thunder and in 20 minutes of play he had seven points and six rebounds. If the Suns are to stay afloat in this one, they will need Biyombo to most likely play similar minutes, if not more.
Davis is the only main superstar that Phoenix has to worry about tonight without LeBron James on the court. Through this season, Davis is averaging 25.8 points and 12.5 rebounds and is a threat to drop 30 plus points on any given night.
However, he is not unbeatable as there are times where Davis lacks the aggressiveness and virtually becomes invisible including in the Lakers last game against the Orlando Magic where he only dropped 15 points and was saved by Austin Reaves’ 31 point performance.
If Biyombo can put his veteran experience on display and limit Davis tonight, the Suns have a great shot of winning.
Devin Booker Running the Offense
A common theme for Phoenix this season are injuries.
Unfortunately for the Suns, those injuries are continuing to occur. Booker is practically on his own scoring wise since Kevin Durant and Ayton are both sidelined for tonight's game.
Booker scored 46 points in Sunday afternoon's game against the Thunder and while he may not have to repeat that, he must carry the load on the offensive end. Aside from Paul who has been struggling to score as of late, there is no one else that Booker can turn to create their own shot and dominate on offense consistently.
Not only will he have to score the basketball, but will have to try and get his teammates involved in the action. All of the attention will be on Booker so the rest of his teammates will most likely be left relatively open specifically from the three point line.
Until Durant comes back, the pressure will be right on Booker and that includes in tonight's matchup
