After an intense and wild finish to Wednesday’s play-in game against the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers now shift their focus to the Phoenix Suns. LeBron James and company will head to Arizona to take on the second-seeded Suns.
The addition of Chris Paul has rejuvenated this Suns team and they are hoping to have an extended run after failing to make the postseason last year. Devin Booker will make his playoff debut, so look for him to have a huge impact in his first taste of playoff basketball.
The Lakers are the seventh seed but are slight favorites in this series, which is the first time it has happened in over 30 years. The biggest question mark for the Lakers is health. Can Anthony Davis and James stay on the floor? We will have to wait and see.
Now, we know exactly when we will both teams battle it out on the court. Per Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet, the Lakers start their opening series on Sunday in the desert:
Lakers Round 1 schedule vs. Suns:
Game 1: Sunday, 12:30 p.m., ABC
Game 2: Tuesday, 7 p.m., TNT and Spectrum
Game 3: Thursday, 7 p.m., TNT and Spectrum
Game 4: Sunday, 12:30 p.m., ABC
Game 5: Tuesday, if necessary.
Game 6: Thursday, if necessary.
Game 7: Saturday, if necessary.
For the sake of their health, you would want the Lakers to have a short series. However, that will likely not be the case against this tough team led by Monty Williams. Survive and advance, but be prepared for a hard-fought series because Paul won’t go down without a fight.
