Keys to Victory: Suns Host Lakers for In-Season Tournament

The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers will face off tonight for the second time this season after the Lakers notably won the first of four matchups this year on October 26, in a 100-95 victory at Crypto.com arena.

While the Suns took defeat from the Jaws of victory, they played three strong quarters of basketball that night. While the Suns have been up-and-down since that game, the Lakers have largely been on the downswing.

Here are three key areas the Suns must emphasize tonight to improve to 1-0 in group play in the NBA's first ever in-season tournament:

Attack Lakers' "Pigeons"

The Lakers have been a disappointing team in many areas, but the below-average defense may be the most surprising development so far.

Jarred Vanderbilt has been absent for the Lakers in all of their eight contests, and there unfortunately haven't been many answers to make up for his absence.

The Suns must take advantage of the Lakers subpar perimeter defense and attack the proverbial "pigeons"- the defenders that are typically easy to pick on.

It will certainly be interesting to see how the Suns primarily attack this advantage- will it be another Kevin Durant-heavy iso gameplay or will it be more predicated around ball movement and spacing?

The latter is the better option tonight.

Force Davis to Take Jumpers

Anthony Davis has certainly had better fortune as a jump shooter this season compared to previous ones, actually shooting 42.9% from behind the arc. On the flip side, the percentage is based off of a very small sample size, and the truth is the Lakers are far less dangerous when Davis is forced to play on the perimeter.

Davis also shoots 77% at the rim, so he's near automatic once in the short-range game.

Frank Vogel and co. need to cook up a sufficient gameplay that keeps Davis away from the paint as much as possible.

Emphasize Gordon/Allen Touches in Offense

Touching back on the first point, Phoenix will likely see much more success on offense if they spread out shot distribution, make the extra pass, and stretch the Lakers' already weak perimeter defense thin.

Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen in particular will be important figures in that equation, a common theme early on in the season. Gordon had a rough game against Chicago, shooting 1-for-8 from three, while Allen had a great performance, going 8-for-13.

On top of the game-breaking shooting both can bring, they have been quietly good at taking the ball to the hoop and being utilized as secondary playmakers. The offense is just simply better when both are playing inspired basketball.

The two guards have arguably been the best players outside of Durant who have played the majority of potential games this season, and the Suns likely need both to have strong showings tonight to overcome Davis and the Lakers.