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On Tuesday night, December 5, the Phoenix Suns will battle the Los Angeles Lakers in the first-ever In-Season Tournament knockout game for each team.
This will be the third time Phoenix faces off with LA this season, but the first time Suns star Devin Booker will be in the lineup against the Lakers.
Booker has missed time this season with a foot injury, a calf injury and, most recently, an ankle injury, but he’s now healthy and raring to face off against LA on Tuesday.
“Missing any game is tough. You know, I’m excited for this one,” Booker said to the press. “I know they’re playing well as of now, and know they’re back healthy you know they have their roster back, so it’ll be a heavyweight match in LA and, you know, a lot on the line, winner goes to Vegas, so I think everyone is looking forward to it, it’ll be fun.”
Sharing the Floor With Kevin Durant
After discussing his excitement for Phoenix’s quarterfinal matchup against the Lakers, Booker talked about sharing the court with Kevin Durant.
“I mean, there’s layers to it, you know, being a fan first of him and always watching his game closely, and I remember being a rookie and, you know, earning some respect from him.
“I remember looking at postgame conferences and how he would speak of me and, you know, that always gave me the confidence, you know, to get respect from the top dogs in the league.”
Booker also described Durant as a “living legend.”
When Booker was a rookie in 2015-16, Durant had already made six All-Star games and won an NBA MVP. Nearly a decade later, Booker has evolved into a superstar in his own right, and the two are hoping to bring some hardware back to Phoenix, whether that’s the NBA Cup, the Larry O’Brien trophy — or both.
NBA History on the Line
The first night of the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals showed that nothing is certain. Indiana upset Boston in the first quarterfinal, then New Orleans marched into Sacramento and beat the Kings.
Now, the Suns are hoping to join those two teams (plus the winner of New York vs. Milwaukee) in the semifinals, and they enter the quarterfinals having won eight of their last ten games. In that 10-game stretch, Phoenix has been dominant – ranking second in offensive rating and fifth in net rating.
That scoring has come, mostly, from beyond the arc and at the free throw line. Phoenix ranks third in three-point percentage (40.7%) over that stretch, and first in both free throw attempts (28.8) free throws made (24.4) and free throw percentage (86.1%).
On the other side, Los Angeles is playing some good ball, too. The Lakers have won 9 of their last 13 games and just got some reinforcements. Forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who LA signed to a $48 million extension this offseason, is back in the lineup after missing the entire season up to this point. Vanderbilt made his season debut on December 2nd against Houston when he played just under 14 minutes.
Neither Phoenix nor Los Angeles has been fully healthy this season, and neither will be fully healthy for the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals, either. Bradley Beal and Gabe Vincent will both be out, and Eric Gordon’s status is still up in the air. But overall, both teams are generally healthier than they have been all year.
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