Lakers at Suns
The Phoenix Suns aim to complete a four-game season sweep of Los Angeles when the Lakers visit on Monday. Phoenix posted a 20-point home victory over the Lakers in late October and was later victorious in both road contests. The Lakers are expected to be without Kobe Bryant when they try to avoid the sweep as Bryant has routinely been rested over the last month due to general aches and soreness.
Los Angeles has lost four straight games and 13 of its last 17 after falling 94-85 to the Utah Jazz on Saturday. With 12 wins at the midway point of their season, the Lakers are on pace to have an even worse record than last season’s 27-55 mark, which was the worst in franchise history. Phoenix is playing the third game of a franchise-long eight-game homestand and defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-99 on Friday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE LAKERS (12-29): Bryant last played on Friday when he had 19 points and a career-best 17 assists in a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and admits he is beginning to consider whether or not to retire after the season. “I’d be lying if I said that it hasn’t crossed my mind,” Bryant told the Los Angeles Times. “Right now, I doubt it … but anything’s possible.” Los Angeles struggles with Bryant and is especially putrid without him and committed 21 turnovers in the loss to the Jazz.
ABOUT THE SUNS (24-18): Phoenix has won five consecutive home games and is looking to pad the victories total during its long homestand as the Western Conference race will surely heat up with the season at the midway point. “We got a long home stretch right now so we’re going to try to win then all,” Eric Bledsoe told reporters. “Games like (Minnesota) we need and to win them big and everybody rested for the next game is huge.” Gerald Green had 19 points against the Timberwolves after tallying just nine in a two-game span, including a scoreless outing against Cleveland on Tuesday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Lakers have lost their last seven visits to Phoenix.
2. Suns C Alex Len has reached double digits in rebounding in four consecutive games and is averaging 11.8 during the stretch.
3. Los Angeles SF Nick Young is 8-of-40 from 3-point range over the last seven games.