Game Preview: Suns Close Out Preseason vs Lakers

The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers will face off tonight in Palm Springs, CA.

The Phoenix Suns are making their final appearance tonight before the season opener in San Fransisco on Tuesday, playing arguably their biggest rival in the Los Angeles Lakers. 

This game will be played in Palm Springs, which is about two hours out from L.A. Here are some things to watch as the day progresses and during the game

Who All is Playing?

Lakers coach Darvin Ham sure sounded like he was planning on playing everyone in tonight's matchup, as did Suns head man Frank Vogel. 

If everyone does in fact suit up tonight, it will mark the first time Kevin Durant and LeBron James shared the court together since 2018. It will also be interesting to see how the star-studded rosters stack up against each other, with Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal being some of the best talents in the game as well.

While it seems as if both teams will play everyone tonight, nothing is confirmed. Suns fans should stay updated throughout the day to see what the official injury report says, as it could be released any time during the day. 

If the stars don't play tonight, it'll be another big game for the role players to tighten their grips on Vogel's new defensive system, along with auditioning for a rotation spot in the regular season opener.

Preview Of Next Week?

The Suns and Lakers are both seen as heavyweights in the West going into the season, although both seem to be behind Denver in most pundits eyes.

Both teams are also seen as top-five contenders in the league as a whole, but for very different reasons. Yes, both teams are star-laden, but the Lakers are being renowned more for their defense, while the Suns are generally seen as a team with an offense that can outrun almost anyone.

The contrasting styles and star power will make their matchups this season must-watch basketball. Fortunately we will get the first look at the matchup in regular season action next Thursday, in the primetime TNT slot. 

If both teams roll out their full complements tonight, it could be a preview of what to expect in next week's matchup. 

An Intriguing Coaching Battle

This is a more under-the-radar headline, but still an interesting one. 

Vogel was famously fired by the Lakers after a horrid 33-49 season in 2021-22. Many saw Vogel as a scapegoat for the franchises' shortcomings in the two years prior to his firing. 

The Lakers decided that Vogel wasn't a viable leader long term despite the belief they gave up too soon, however, then decided to reverse course by hiring Ham, a former NBA player and longtime assistant coach. 

Ham was seen as more offensive-minded and took inspiration from Mike Budenholzer when it came to installing an offensive system in LA. 

The Lakers started out last season 2-12, but a bevy of timely trades combined with James and Davis being healthy launched the lakers into the postseason. The Lakers also were fortunate to draw the easier side of the playoff bracket in the West, and rode matchups against Memphis and Golden State to the conference finals, in which they were swept by the eventual champions in Denver. 

The Suns decided to move on from Monty Williams after a second straight embarrassing exit from the playoffs, also at the hands of Denver. Three weeks later they settled on Vogel as the next voice of the team. Vogel has thoroughly impressed in his short time in the valley, assembling an impressive coaching staff and seemingly connecting to the locker room in meaningful ways. 

This coaching battle will certainly be interesting in an ironic way, as it was mentioned Ham is an offensive-minded coach helming a defensive-minded team, while Vogel is the exact opposite. Vogel is also setting out to silence the doubters that accrued during his time leading the Lakers, which also resulted in a championship.