Two teams that had hoped to be basking in the bright lights of Las Vegas this weekend will have to settle for a different Southwestern site when the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns duel outside the spotlight of the NBA Cup on Sunday night in Arizona.
After each advanced into the Western Conference semifinals in the annual in-season event, the Lakers and Suns were relegated to a regular-season matchup when they were both thumped one win from a trip to Vegas.
Neither put up much defensive resistance Wednesday, with the Lakers giving up a season-high 132 points in a 13-point home loss to the San Antonio Spurs, while the Suns were even more generous in surrendering a season-high-tying 138 points in a 49-point shellacking at Oklahoma City.
Each will get an opportunity to bounce back at the other’s expense Sunday, with the Lakers further motivated by a 125-108 loss to the Suns in Los Angeles on Dec. 1.
Dillon Brooks and Collin Gillespie terrorized the Lakers in the earlier meeting, combining for 61 points while shooting 25-for-45. They outscored Luka Doncic and LeBron James by 13 points.
The Suns have since alternated losses and wins over their last three games — all on the road — and now return home where they’ve received consecutive defeats, 114-92 to the Houston Rockets and 130-122 to the Denver Nuggets.
Phoenix has been without Devin Booker in its last three games because of a groin strain. He joined backcourt partner Jalen Green (hamstring) on the sidelines.
Booker might return to face the Lakers, while Green definitely won’t, once again thrusting Gillespie into the spotlight.
The former G Leaguer and rarely used member of the Nuggets has taken advantage of his opportunity with the Suns, scoring in double figures in 12 straight games before being held to two by the Thunder on Wednesday.
“My journey is my journey; I wouldn’t trade it for anything else,” Gillespie assured reporters earlier this week. “There’s a certain aspect to people not believing in you and having a chip on your shoulder, and I think that’s just how I grew up, how I’ve always played.
“I’ll never lose that. I remember where I started.”
Gillespie’s 28 points against the Lakers in the earlier meeting were a career high.
Losing by 17 points at home to the Suns in a game in which Booker contributed just 11 points still stings the Lakers, who have given up 118 or more points in seven of their last eight games.
“The spirit’s still high in here; we know we can do it,” Austin Reaves assured the media after the blowout loss to the Spurs. “But we have to be a group that guards with five people.”
Doncic and James both did their part offensively against San Antonio, with Doncic going for 35 points while James had a productive all-around effort with 19 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks.
