Keys to Victory: Suns vs Lakers

The Phoenix Suns are set to play the first half of a back-to-back tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen (8) shoots the ball against LA Clippers guard Amir Coffey (7) in the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are set to play game two of their regular season tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Phoenix escaped the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night behind clutch performances from both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal despite some glaring shortcomings - including an inefficient team rebounding performance.

While the Lakers don't hold the defensive prowess as a team that the Clippers do, they are a much more dangerous matchup due to two pointed reasons - the elite duo of LeBron James/Anthony Davis and the way the team has shifted philosophies seemingly overnight.

This contest will be a test as to who has adapted quicker - it will be a rubber match between a pair of innovators in JJ Redick and Mike Budenholzer. It will also be a showcase of which star duo is more prepared to lead a surge for teams that were wildly disappointing in 2023-24.

The key for a Suns' victory is just that - the Durant/Devin Booker duo has to outplay James/Davis on the offensive side of the ball just days after the Lakers' big man experienced an offensive renaissance against the Minnesota Timberwolves just days ago.

While Booker had an efficient showing on Wednesday - including 4-for-5 from three-point range - he lacked assertiveness for much of the night. The 10-year vet has to be both aggressive and efficient tonight to counteract the all-defense impact that Davis provides for L.A.

The second key is to make a statement pertaining to roster construction and play-style. Both teams have overhauled their respective offensive principles as mentioned previously - but Budenholzer has a clear experience advantage over the first-year Redick.

While Redick's rotations and offense appeared sound in game 1, it feels like the Suns' depth is more proven at this juncture - as players off of the L.A. bench such as Jaxson Hayes have extremely volatile contracts between ceiling and floor on a game-to-game basis.

The Suns' bench feels like an assortment of proven vets that will generally be steadying hands throughout the grind of a season - you know exactly what they'll provide and exactly how they will compliment the trio of stars.

The Suns will reign victorious tonight if the stars shine brighter than the opposition, if Budenholzer can outwit Redick in a clash of similar coaching styles, and if the Phoenix bench can fill the gaps of time without all stars on the floor better than the Lakers can.

Suns-Lakers is set to tip-off shortly after 7 P.M. Arizona time tonight and will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN.

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