The Valley of the Sun is up against the strong team of the City of Angels in an intense regular season matchup tonight. Currently, both the teams have the same amount of wins this season, 19. However, due to one extra loss, the Lakers are behind the Suns by .14 percentile, which can be covered if they emerge victorious today. They are even entering into this game with an added advantage as they are riding on a 2-game winning streak and are playing on their home court. On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns are on a 2-game losing streak so they have a low momentum entering this contest.

But the momentum and statistics play a role only before the game starts. The real match deciders are the players who are representing their franchises on the court. So who all are going to be participating in this high-intensity matchup?

The roster status of the Los Angeles Lakers & the Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns have a fully fit roster with only one player, Damion Lee being out due to meniscus surgery. So, with that, the Suns’ roster consists of all their star players, namely Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, and Jusuf Nurkic. On the other hand, the Lakers’ roster is plagued with injuries and has a lot of players on their injury report.

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Gabe Vincent is out due to knee surgery, Rui Hachimura is doubtful because of his left calf strain, Anthony Davis is probable as he suffered a left ankle sprain, and even their cornerstone LeBron James is questionable because of his left ankle peroneal tendinopathy. But as this is a very important matchup even though James and Davis are mentioned in the injury report they will most likely play. So considering them, the Lakers squad consists of  Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, and Cam Reddish.

In the last regular season encounter during the In-Season tournament quarter-finals, the Lakers won 106-103 against the Suns who gave them a tough competition. However, the game tonight marks the teams’ 267th regular-season meeting, so what can we expect from it?

An intense matchup between two strong teams

The Lakers, who have won two straight games, hope to build on their first-ever in-season tournament success. In their most recent game, Anthony Davis dominated his opponent with 41 points and 11 rebounds, and aiding him was LeBron James who contributed a double-double. On the other hand, the Phoenix Suns showed a lot of potential with the return of Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker.

However, they have not been able to capitalize on their star power and even lost a big game against the Los Angeles Clippers. This is the fourth meeting between the two teams this season, and the Lakers have won the previous three by an average of eleven points. So, if the Suns want redemption, they will have to give their 110% against the Lakers and prevent all unforced errors from their side.

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