When the Los Angeles Lakers face off against Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns on December 5, it will be the third meeting between the two teams this season and the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament. But it will be the first time they see Booker this season.
Booker, for one, is looking forward to it.
“I’m excited for this one,” Booker said via Duane Rankin of azcentral on December 2. “I know they’re playing well as of now. And they’re back healthy, they have their roster back. So it’ll be a heavyweight match in L.A. A lot on the line. Winner goes to Vegas, so I think everyone’s looking forward to it. It’ll be fun.”
The Lakers won both previous meetings by an average margin of four points. Booker – averaging a hair under 28.0 points per game this season – might have turned the tide.
Booker averages 23.1 points per game against the Lakers in his career. In two games last season – one win and one loss – he averaged 29.0 points on 62.2% true shooting. The Suns come in having won six of their last eight contests.
Their last outing, a 116-109 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, saw Booker go for 34 points.
The Lakers have the ninth-best defensive rating, per NBA.com. The Grizzlies rank 12th, suggesting the latter could stand a better chance at slowing down the Suns’ No. 8-ranked offense. For the Lakers, their 24th-ranked offense will go against the league’s No. 18 overall defense for Phoenix.
Booker’s teammate, Kevin Durant, moved into the top 10 all-time in scoring during the Suns’ 119-11 win over the Denver Nuggets on December 1, passing Hall-of-Famer Moses Malone in the process.
The achievement drew praise from Lakers star LeBron James, who moved into No. 1 last season.
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