Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers 1/1/20: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Daily Fantasy
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Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers Preview
In a Pacific Division showdown tonight, the Phoenix Suns travel to Los Angeles to play the Lakers. Both teams would love to start the year 2020 off with wins, but only one team will walk away extending their current win streaks tonight.
The Los Angeles Lakers are first in the Western Conference with a 26-7 record. They have won their last two straight and are 6-4 in their last 10. Unfortunately for the Suns, the Lakers are 11-4 at the Staples Center.
While the Suns are a much-improved team, they’ll likely still be one of several teams clawing their way for a low seed to get into the playoffs at the end of the season. They are 10th in the West at 13-20, but they are on a two-game winning streak, but they are 2-8 in their last 10 and have a road record of 7-8.
This will be another game in the regular season series between the Lakers and the Suns, with Los Angeles getting the better of Phoenix in a 123-115 win on November 12th. Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Devin Booker paced the Suns with 21.
TV Schedule
Date: 1/1/20
Time: 10:30 PM ET
Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
Channel: FSA, SPECSN
Injuries
Suns: Frank Kaminsky (Q)
Lakers: Anthony Davis (P), DeMarcus Cousins (O)
Phoenix Suns Starting Lineup
PG: Ricky Rubio
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Kelly Oubre Jr.
PF: Dario Saric
C: Deandre Ayton
Suns Analysis
The Phoenix Suns came back from being 19 points down on Monday night to complete the upset over the Portland Trail Blazers and win their second consecutive game after beating the Sacramento Kings just two nights before.
The Trail Blazers got out to an early 38-19 lead in the first quarter but started rallying back in the second quarter and into the second half. Center DeAndre Ayton, who had been out, returned and played off the bench in limited minutes, but he was needed late in the game for the 122-116 win.
The Suns were led by Devin Booker, who dropped in 33 points. Kelly Oubre, who is looking more and more like the steal of that trade with the Wizards last season, finished with 29 points.
Ricky Rubio also had a big night with 18 points and 13 assists, and Mikal Bridges had 13 off the bench.
The Suns will definitely need to be able to continue scoring at a high pace, but they’ll also need to make defensive stops tonight against the Lakers.
Suns Quick Links: Suns Starting Lineup, Suns Roster, Suns Depth Chart, Suns Injuries, Suns News, Suns Schedule
Los Angeles Lakers Starting Lineup
PG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SG: Danny Green
SF: LeBron James
PF: Anthony Davis
C: JaVale McGee
Lakers Analysis
The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from their loss to the Los Angeles Clippers with consecutive wins over the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks.
“We just had to find ourselves again,” Lakers forward Anthony Davis said after the win over Dallas. “It started with the defensive end. We were able to get back to what we do defensively and when we do that we are able to beat any team and feel good about ourselves.
“We were able to do that the last two games against two really great offensive teams, so when we do what we’re supposed to do on the defensive end and we play with a lot of pace, sharing the basketball, getting in the passing lanes and getting steals and deflections we’re a tough team to beat.”
Against Dallas, they were able to limit Luka Doncic to 19 points in the 108-95 win and they also neutralized Kristaps Porzingis.
Anthony Davis had 23 points and nine rebounds in the game and LeBron James finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds as he worked primarily as a distributor and got other players involved.
Kyle Kuzma continues to struggle, but the Lakers bench as a whole did well, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scoring 19 and Dwight Howard contributing 15 points.
Lakers Quick Links: Lakers Starting Lineup, Lakers Roster, Lakers Depth Chart, Lakers Injuries, Lakers News, Lakers Schedule
Key Player Matchups
LeBron James vs. Kelly Oubre Jr.
Oubre is having a great season, currently averaging 17.7 points and six rebounds, but he faces a big challenge in James tonight. James has done just about whatever his team has needed most from him, whether that’s taking over as a scorer, or getting other players involved with his passing skills.
Anthony Davis vs. DeAndre Ayton/Aron Baynes
Regardless of which player starts for the Suns, Anthony Davis has a big advantage in this one. He’s been on a mission this season, and while he’s shown some inconsistencies, he’s been solid for the most part and has worked well as he has blended seamlessly in the Lakers offense.
Daily Fantasy
Anthony Davis and Devin Booker are standout players for tonight’s game. Davis is available for $9.9k on FanDuel with a projection of 46.8 points. Booker has a higher points per $1k value as his salary is $7.4k and he’s expected to finish with 39.5 points.
Oubre is a solid value pickup at $6.5k with a projection of 31.7 points
Bet on Matchup
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