The Phoenix Suns’ first game in Los Angeles proved to be a test of offensive execution, but the second will be far different.
With about 3 minutes to go in regulation and center Jusuf Nurkic dealing with foul trouble, Suns coach Mike Budenholzer inserted forward Royce O’Neale into the closing lineup. That tiny group successfully handled post-ups from the bruising Ivica Zubac and James Harden doing his best to pick on smaller defenders to come back from a 9-point deficit and send the game to overtime, where Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal took over.
We don’t know exactly what to expected for the Lakers under new head coach JJ Redick, but we know what Anthony Davis can do. After a massive 36 and 16 game in the opener, Davis looks every bit the part of the All-NBA monster he was last season. That makes it highly unlikely that we see the Suns go small in key moments again.
Instead, the Suns will have to find a different solution to a familiar problem. They are small no matter who is on the court or who their opponent is. They used that to their advantage against the Clippers, but Davis makes that next to impossible.
The Lakers grabbed 15 offensive rebounds in their opener, compared to just four for the Suns. Davis alone got to the line 15 times, while the Suns lucked into 14 from Nurkic and Mason Plumlee combined by getting into the bonus early.
They will need to match the physicality and force the Lakers play with and survive what is bound to be a big night from Davis.
In some ways, this will prove to be a more natural test for the Suns. Most nights this season, this team will need to outscore its opponent in spite of that opponent going off. Friday night should follow that script.
While I expect the Suns to generate more 3s and move the ball better against the Lakers, this is also a more potent offensive team. Whereas the Clippers game ended regulation in the low 100s, this one will likely go into the 120s.
Whether by pulling Davis away from the action or simply getting hot, the Suns have a chance to win a shootout and prove they can succeed in different environments, even in the same city.
