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3 things to watch for in Lakers-Suns on League Pass
Both the Lakers and Suns look to snap two-game losing streaks when they meet in Phoenix on Thursday night.
Phoenix Suns Royce O’Neale and Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James look to snap their teams’ two-game losing streaks.
The Los Angeles Lakers (34-23, 6th in Western Conference) go on the road for the first time since Feb. 3 when they visit the Phoenix Suns (33-26, 7th in West) on Thursday (9 ET). LA went 4-4 during their 8-game homestand, while the Suns are 3-7 over their last ten outings.
1. Injuries, offensive struggles for Suns: The injury bug is flying freely in Phoenix and it wreaked havoc in The Valley post All-Star break. After just 9 minutes of play in the Suns’ first game back following the festivities, Devin Booker sustained a hip flexor that has kept him on the shelf since. Two nights later, Dillon Brooks, who’s averaging a career-high 20.9 ppg during his first season in purple and orange, broke his left hand and will be sidelined 4-6 weeks. In the same contest, Jordan Goodwin, an important contributor off the bench, suffered a calf injury that will keep him out of the lineup for 1-to-2 weeks before being reevaluated. All in all, those three players account for 54.5 of Phoenix’s 112.1 ppg. As a result, the Suns have scored less than 95 points in three of their last four games, posting an NBA-worst 91.3 ppg during that stretch. They’ll need guys like Grayson Allen (17.2 ppg), Collin Gillespie (13.4 ppg) and Jalen Green (13.3 ppg) to step up in a big way, and a matchup against the Lakers’ 24th-ranked defense (116.6 DEFRTG) could be just what this team needs to get back on the right track.
Lakers Hit With More Bad News After Ayton Rant
The Los Angeles Lakers absorbed more bad news following a crushing one-point loss as they try to steady themselves in a tightening Western Conference race.
Japanese forward Rui Hachimura has been downgraded to out with an illness on the NBA’s official injury report, leaving the Los Angeles Lakers shorthanded ahead of a pivotal road matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
The absence comes on the heels of a heartbreaking 110–109 loss to the Orlando Magic, a game that further exposed the Lakers’ thin margin for error as they jockey for playoff positioning.
At 34–23, Los Angeles sits sixth in the Western Conference, with Phoenix trailing by just two games in the tightly packed play-in picture. With fewer than 25 games remaining, every result carries postseason weight — particularly for a team still searching for lineup consistency under JJ Redick, now in his second season on the bench.
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Rui Hachimura Injury: Ruled out with illness
Hachimura won't play in Thursday's game against the Suns due to an illness, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.
Hachimura can be tentatively labeled as questionable for Saturday's clash with the Warriors. With the 28-year-old forward sidelined, the door is open for each of Jake LaRavia, Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart to seize a more sizable role Thursday.
Before you set your NBA starting lineups, be sure to scan the NBA injury report one last time and cross check with the latest NBA depth charts to help confirm your decision. And don't forget at RotoWire you can use our NBA optimizer to fine tune your approach, get all the latest fantasy basketball news and NBA projections plus our exclusive PrizePicks picks.
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