Lakers-Suns Preseason Rematch: How to Watch, Odds, Predictions, More

Los Angeles suits up against the Suns on Thursday night.

Feb 25, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) against Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers will suit up against the Phoenix Suns for the second time this season.

During the two clubs' first encounter, at Palm Desert's Acrisure Arena (and thus technically a Lakers home game) on October 6, a balanced Suns bench felled Los Angeles late, 118-114. All-NBA Lakers combo forward LeBron James led Los Angeles with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field (2-of-3 from beyond the arc) and 1-of-1 shooting from the foul line, along with five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

How to Watch

The action is slated to be broadcast nationally via TNT and locally on Spectrum SportsNet — as well as Spectrum's streaming affiliate, Spectrum SportsNet+. Fans on the go can listen in via ESPN LA 710 and 1330 KWKW.

Odds

Hosting at Phoenix's Footprint Center, the Suns (who've gone 3-1 in preseason play) are -6.5-point favorites. The Lakers will look to overcome being underdogs on the road.

Predictions

Look for young Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves to exploit aging, pricey Suns shooting guard Bradley Beal, and for James or forward Rui Hachimura to take advantage of their matchup with All-Star Phoenix small forward Devin Booker (it's likely that All-NBA Phoenix forward Kevin Durant will have to guard James). The 6-foot-6 Booker has been promoted to being Phoenix's starting small forward with the advent of new starting point guard Tyus Jones, who was somehow inked to a veteran's minimum contract this summer. Booker had been tasked with serving as the Suns' starting point guard last season, and proved a surprisingly adept passer, though not necessarily a traditional set-up man.

It's hard to predict the actual outcome of the game, as it will eventually come down to which of either team's deep bench will outscore the other late. Los Angeles is 1-3, and struggled against a sharpshooting Warriors offense on Monday. It seems likely that, if the Suns get hot from outside, they'll have a serious edge.

More

It'll be interesting to see how much risk-averse new Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer chooses to play his injury-prone vets — from All-Stars Durant, Booker and Beal to slowpoke starting center Jusuf Nurkic — during what is ultimately a meaningless exhibition game. One wonders if any of those four players will suit up in the contest's second half for more than two minutes.

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