The Lakers are in a midst of their longest losing streak of the season, currently standing at four games. It is no surprise to anyone that the combination of tough scheduling and untimely injuries to key players led to the Lakers’ current losing streak. The good news is that D’Angelo Russell was cleared for basketball-related activities and could return to the next few games or so. The Lakers’ next two games at home are quite winnable, beginning with the Phoenix Suns on Friday at 7:30 PST on ESPN.
The last time the two teams faced off, things were a little heated toward the end of the game. The Lakers were able to win that game 118-109 despite Devin Booker exploding for a career-high 39 points. If the Lakers want to get back in the winning column on Friday, then they need to find a way to contain Booker; maybe putting Brandon Ingram on him would help with that. It will be a long night if Booker can have a repeat performance of their first matchup.
The Lakers’ bench has been one of the most consistent and productive benches in the NBA so far. Lou Williams is averaging 34 points in the last three games. It is frustrating that his scoring outbursts came in Lakers losses. Clearly, Williams is the Lakers best offensive scorer. Hopefully, he can have a great scoring game in victory on Friday.
It would also help if Jordan Clarkson can find his groove on the court back. Clarkson has been struggling as of late. Clarkson is currently shooting a career-low 31 percent from deep and is averaging 14.6 points, a drop off from 15.5 points last season. The sooner Clarkson can find his shooting touch back, the better for the Lakers overall.
The Lakers won’t have a fully healthy team for at least a few weeks, so it is important for them to take advantage pf playing at home against a team that they have a good shot at beating. Hopefully, the result of Friday’s game would be similar to the first time these two teams met.
