3 keys for Phoenix Suns to beat LA Lakers in In-Season Tournament | November 10th 2023

The In-Season Tournament's Group Play sees the Phoenix Suns play the LA Lakers. The Suns hold a 4-4 record, while the Lakers have a 3-5 record to start the season. The game is scheduled to tip off at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday and will be another road fixture for the Lakers, who are yet to win a road game this season.

The Lakers will be a tough matchup for the Phoenix Suns, who will be without the services of Devin Booker (calf) and Damion Lee (knee), as per AZ Central's Duane Rankin. Bradley Beal, however, is listed as "probable."

With that said, let's look at the three keys for the Phoenix Suns to beat the LA Lakers in this In-Season Tournament match.

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NBA In-Season Tournament: Phoenix Suns' keys for victory against LA Lakers

#1, Protect an early lead

The Lakers have won a few games this season by being able to climb their way back into a match. This has happened when the Lakers go down big to start the game and the opposing teams struggle to protect the lead.

Whether Bradley Beal plays or not, Kevin Durant needs to set the tone for this group. A good start to the game is nothing if the lead can't be protected or managed well throughout all four quarters. Communication needs to be sharp and precise as well as Suns coach Frank Vogel's substitutions.

#2, Space out the Lakers' defense

The Lakers defense is ranked 19th in the league with a 113.8 defensive rating. Throughout eight games that the Lakers have played their season, they have struggled with simple defensive adjustments as soon as Anthony Davis is off the floor.

All Access Lakers' Raj Chipalu highlighted this specifically via X. Opposing teams have taken Anthony Davis out of the rim and onto the perimeter, eliminating the Lakers' rim protection.

This has been problematic for the Lakers, which the Phoenix Suns can take advantage of. The Suns can utilize this weak point and break down the Lakers' defense by having proper spacing on their offense.

Additionally, the Suns have to make sure that their guards or wings can attack closeouts for quality shots at the rim. Moreover, Phoenix can also attack Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell for some quality looks.

#3, Slow down LeBron James

Lastly, the toughest challenge of them all is to slow down LeBron James. Despite being 38 years old, James remains a headache to defend for opposing teams. This is not just because of his strength and shotmaking but also due to his incredible basketball IQ. On the court, James has an excellent way of reading defenses for better counterattacks on offense.

Be that as it may, he is still capable of willing this Lakers team to victories on his own. With that said, the Phoenix Suns can double James, but only in scenarios where the Lakers' spacing is questionable or the team can live with some players being open.

Another way the Suns can look into slowing down LeBron James is by eliminating his options on the court. Guarding James one-on-one can be a fool's errand if a team has no legitimate defender to put on him. However, if the Suns were to shut down some of the team's shooters, it would force him to take matters into his own hands, leading to a stagnant offense.