The Los Angeles Lakers host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night, as Bryant, who has sat out three straight games due to soreness, will play and start in this one. His team has gone 1-2 without him, beating the Golden State Warriors and losing to the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks.
Even though Kobe is back, he may see limited minutes. “We both thought that 30-40 minute mark was pretty good. Obviously we’re going to have to adjust that a little bit. But this is new for both of us,” Scott said. It’s clear that Kobe cannot be out there too long since he usually gets fatigued late in games. It would be smart for Scott to give him longer breaks.
Without Bryant, the main struggle has come on the offensive end for the Lakers as many would expect. The Lakers have shot under 40 percent the last two games on the road. Despite their poor shooting, Los Angeles battled hard and kept it close against the Bulls and Mavericks. The Lakers played evenly with Chicago for three quarters until they were dominated in the fourth. Against Dallas, they only lost by four, as they played hard with a lot of effort and energy.
“I thought we got good shots (and should) keep shooting it. I thought in general we made the right play at the right time,” Jeremy Lin said after Friday night’s loss in Dallas.
Nick Young has been in a funk the last two games, shooting 1-of-6 for three points one night then 5-of-16 for 15 points the next. His efficiency has taken a hit with Bryant out.
The Lakers will definitely need better production from Young, as they are going up against a team with two explosive scorers off their bench in Isaiah Thomas and Gerald Green. In fact, when these two met back on November 4th, the two combined for 48 points off the bench, with Thomas scoring 22 and Green putting in 26.
This will be the third meeting between the two teams. The Suns beat the Lakers in the first two games, as they blew them out, 119-99, in the first meeting and won in a closer battle in the second meeting. Overall, the Suns have defeated the Lakers five out of the last six times.
Kobe has averaged 35.0 points against the Suns this season. On the other hand, Thomas has averaged 22.5 points and 6.0 assists against the Lakers this season. He has been a tough cover for the Lakers, who tend to struggle against quick and small point guards.
The Lakers used a lot of zone defense in their last game against the Mavericks. Perhaps they could use zone defense to keep Thomas out of the driving lanes and force him to take threes.
Suns coach Jeff Hornacek loves playing small lineups, which gives his team an advantage on offense most of the time, but a disadvantage on defense and rebounding, which could benefit the Lakers. “We’re small a lot of times. We get hurt on the boards some times. But the guys play hard,” Hornacek said.
Carlos Boozer has played well in the last three games, averaging 16.7 points and 7.3 rebounds. He has been consistent with Kobe out, and the Lakers are hoping he can play the same with Kobe back.
The Suns are coming in with a 10-7 record on the road, while the Lakers own a 4-10 record at home. This game tips off at 9:30 pm Eastern Standard Time.