The Lakers (5-10) have won three consecutive games and will look to keep that momentum going when they travel to Phoenix to face against the Suns (10-6) on Tuesday night. The game tips at 7:00pm on TNT and 710 ESPN Radio.
Below are three things to know ahead of the matchup:
A TALE OF THREE TEAMS
At 5-10, the Lakers season can be broken into three five-game samples that tell an interesting story of learning and development of who they are and what they can be as a team.
In their first five games, the Lakers were the worst offensive team in the league, but boasted one of the top rated defenses at the same time. They went 0-5 in those games, unable to close a couple of games that were close down the stretch while having difficulty keeping pace with some of the more high-powered offenses they faced.
In games six through 10, the team went 2-3 solely on the strength of an improving offense and some timely shot making (hello Matt Ryan!). That stretch also saw the team struggle defensively, particularly when going up against some of the most prolific jumpshooting teams in the Jazz (twice) and the Cavaliers.
In the team's most recent five game stretch they are 3-2, all coming on their current winning streak. This stretch has featured an even more improved offense, but also a return back to some of the defensive roots that Coach Ham has preached as the backbone of this team. Over these last five games the Lakers rank 7th in Offensive Rating (115.0) and 6th in Defensive Rating (108.5), with a net rating of 6.5 that ranks 4th over that stretch.
Every season has ups and downs and, at times, what feels like progression is just a sliver of a season extracted and held up as more than it is. But, as the Lakers have gotten healthier -- even as LeBron has missed time -- and had more time together, they've improved offensively and have begun to re-establish the defensive identity they had coming out of training camp. The hope, of course, is that they can combine the defensive version of themselves from their first five games and their more well rounded play from their last five games to propel their season forward.
3-POINT SHOOTING UPS & DOWNS
The Lakers struggles from behind the arc to start the season were a huge story not just because of the historically low percentage, but because of the volume of attempts that percentage came on. Through the team's first five games their 35.4 attempts per game were the 12th most in the NBA, which only amplified the importance of the team missing them at the rate they were.
Fast forward to today and while the team still ranks 30th in the league in 3-point field goal percentage for the season, the story is shifting and not just because their shooting has began to normalize. In the team's last 10 games, they're knocking down a very respectable 35.9 percent from deep, good for 16th in the NBA over that stretch -- while also lowering their number of attempts per game to 28.1, fewest in the league.
It might seem counterproductive to lower the volume of threes taken right as the percentage of those shots being made starts to rise. But there's an argument to be made that the team's shooting is normalizing (at least) in part to the relationship between what types of shots are being taken, the inherent quality of those shots, and how that impacts the frequency of the attempts.
Take Lonnie Walker as an example. In his first five games, roughly 19 percent of his 3-pointers attempted were taken off the dribble. Now, this isn't a super high sample (5 of his 27 attempts), but the quality of those shots was lower relative to the catch and shoot variety. In Walker's last five games, he's taken exactly zero 3-pointers off the dribble. Subsequently, he's taken nine fewer threes in this stretch (18) compared to that first five game sample.
Lonnie is shooting an impressive 50 percent on those 18 attempts, a number that is going to regress, just as him only hitting 14.8 percent of his attempts in those first five games has. But, as things do normalize, one thing to keep an eye on is the type of shot being taken, how that impacts shot volume, and how the relationahip between those really does matter towards offensive success.
MATCHUP VS. THE SUNS
The Suns have won two of their last three games, including a trouncing of the Knicks on Sunday night. They are a bit banged up, however. Already without Cam Johnson (knee surgery) for the foreseeable future, it's unclear if Chris Paul (heel) and Landry Shamet (concussion protocols) will be available to play after both missed Sunday's contest.
With or without Paul and Shamet, the Suns do have Devin Booker, who is playing at an All-NBA level to start the year. Booker is having his best season as a pro, scoring 27.6 points a game to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 5.9 assists to help the Suns to the 2nd best record in the conference.
Beyond Booker, the Suns are getting strong contributions from Mikal Bridges, DeAndre Ayton, and, in Paul's absence, Cameron Payne who has stepped into the starting lineup to offer some scoring and playmaking. Of this group of secondary players, it's Bridges who has impressed most, increasing his scoring this season (15.8 points per game) while upping his efficiency by shooting 44 percent from behind the arc.
For the Lakers, this is the strongest challenge in recent games, not just because of the opponent but because it's a road game. The Lakers will need to continue their recent trend of playing with spirit and pace, but also bringing poise and a deliberate attack in the face of an environment that will be raucous and rooting for their mistakes.
From an individual matchup perspective, how both teams deal with the other's best players will be an interesting test. From the Lakers side, defending Booker is a difficult challenge, as his physicality and shotmaking from the guard position are both top notch. Multiple players could get an opportunity to defend him, offering him different looks while also keeping individual defenders fresh.
Meanwhile Anthony Davis comes into this game rolling and will present a good challenge for DeAndre Ayton's one-on-one defense. Ayton can use his size, strength, and athleticism to try to contain AD's paint scoring, but Davis can counter with quickness and and an extensive shotmaking arsenal to challenge Ayton's ability to defend in space and on the move, all while avoiding fouling.