Los Angeles Lakers

5 Bold Predictions For Los Angeles Lakers vs Phoenix Suns

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After a promising start to the season, the injury-riddled Los Angeles Lakers are going through a bit of a slump. Can they right the ship against the Phoenix Suns?

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This season has been a roller coaster ride of emotions for the Los Angeles Lakers. First, the promising start that brought with it lofty expectations. Then, a rash of injuries slowed their pace. Now, the Lake Show is on a four-game losing streak.

Luckily, they play host on Friday night to the Phoenix Suns, a team that’s dealing with its own laundry list of issues. Just because they own a better record, though, doesn’t mean the Lakers are going to show up and walk away with a win.

Even in the friendly confines of the Staples Center, the Lakers are not immune. They’re bruised and battered right now, with a couple starters either missing or coming off injuries.

As exciting as this young squad has been in 2016, it’s been difficult for them to stay healthy–and it’s taken a serious toll on their ability to compete on a nightly basis.

So what can we expect from the Lakers on Friday night when the Suns come to town? No one knows for sure, but we can absolutely speculate prior to tip off.

With that in mind, here are my five bold predictions for this matchup between the Lakers and Suns.

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Eric Bledsoe Dishes Out 12 Dimes

So far this season, the Suns have struggled to share the ball. Although a big part of that is due to the duo of Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker scoring most of the team’s points, the general lack of passing isn’t helping Phoenix in the win column.

On Friday, though, the Suns will turn it around with an onslaught of assists. The majority of them will come from Bledsoe, who recently told the Arizona Republic that their passing has been “stagnant” as of late.

Bledsoe has never been much of a facilitator, but can put on a show with his assists a few times each season. His single-game high for the 2016-17 campaign so far is 11, but that won’t be true after Friday’s showdown with the Lakers.

It won’t be a career high for Bledsoe, and the performance won’t suddenly put him on the list of the league’s better passers. It will, however, help the Suns keep this one close.

Especially with its pitiful current record of 6-16, Phoenix could use a boost in the assist department–I mean, they are the only team with more unassisted makes than assisted this season.

It also ties in perfectly with another prediction you’ll read about shortly.

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Lakers Shoot Less Than 20 Percent From Three

In the Lakers’ last six games, there have been three outings during which they connected on 25 percent or less of their three-pointers. It’s been a big part of their offensive struggles, especially with D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young out of the lineup.

It’s not going to get any better against the Suns. That’s not to say the Phoenix defense is a nightmare for opposing shooters, but it’s just going to be one of those nights for Los Angeles.

I’d expect something similar to what happened against the New Orleans Pelicans a week ago. During that contest, they sank only five of their 30 shots from beyond the arc–a pitiful 16.7 percent.

That’s a staggering percentage for a team that came out of the gates red hot to start the season.

The absence of Young specifically hurts the Lakers from long range. He’s been deadly from distance this season, as we’ve seen on numerous occasions. With him nursing a calf injury, Los Angeles has been forced to look elsewhere for production from outside.

Unfortunately, on Friday, they aren’t going to get it. No matter who’s putting up the shots, they’re going to struggle to get them to go in. When all is said and done, the Lakers will have made less than 20 percent of their three-pointers.

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Devin Booker Breaks the 40-Point Mark

It’s been a breakout season for Devin Booker, who continues to prove himself as the Suns’ rising star. The former first-round pick has taken over co-top scorer duties, and is asserting himself as someone capable of getting hot in a hurry.

We’ll see that scoring potential unleashed on Friday in a big way. In fact, I’m predicting Booker will score at least 40 points, eclipsing his current career high of 39 points–a total that was set against the Lakers earlier this season.

As we’ve seen through the first month and a half, Booker is more than capable of taking over games. Although he’s had to share duties with Bledsoe when it comes to carrying the offense, it’s difficult to deny the Kentucky product is coming into his own as a sophomore.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, they’ll have to learn that the hard way for a second time this season.

Booker had been dealing with ankle injury not long ago, but has bounced back strong. It’s helped the Suns stay somewhat competitive in the early season, which isn’t an easy task in the top-heavy Pacific Division.

If Phoenix is going to win, they need Booker to shine. My guess is he does exactly that.

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Julius Randle Records Second Triple-Double of Season

After returning from his three-game absence, Julius Randle has been quietly gaining momentum and getting back to his pre-injury form. He had a 20-rebound performance against the Chicago Bulls and put up a season-high 21 points on Wednesday.

Against the Suns, he’s going to take another step towards the stardom he appears destined for. By that, I mean Randle will secure his second triple-double of the 2016-17 campaign.

Based on what we’ve seen through the early part of the Lakers’ season, a triple-double for Randle isn’t a huge surprise. He already accomplished this feat earlier in the year, and came close on a couple of other occasions.

It’s safe to say the the former No. 7 overall pick is eager to live up to the hype.

During the Lakers’ first battle with the Suns, Randle finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Considering the progress he’s already made since early November, I believe he’s more than capable of going off against Phoenix’ frontcourt.

Look for Randle to give Tyson Chandler and Marquese Chriss all they can handle and then some.

Unfortunately, it may not be enough to get the Lakers out of this funk they appear stuck in.

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Lakers Lose Their Fifth Straight Game

After an outstanding start to the season, the Lakers are in a bit of a slump. They head into Friday’s matchup coming off a demoralizing loss to the Houston Rockets. Unfortunately, it’s not going to get any better as Los Angeles heads into the weekend.

With the injuries starting to pile up, the Lakers lose their fifth game in a row to fall to 10-15. It’s a disappointing development for a team that looked ready to take a huge step forward at season’s start.

Luckily, an early-season losing streak is far from a death sentence for the young Lakers. Even at 10-15, they’d still be right on the outside of the playoff picture. They’ll still hold a slim lead on the Sacramento Kings for ninth place, but are losing ground on the eighth-place Portland Trail Blazers.

A loss to arguably the Pacific’s worst team, though, isn’t a good look for a team hoping to make the jump from franchise worst to postseason appearance. Still, it’s easy to drop games when some of your top playmakers are hurt and hobbled.

It’ll get better once the Lakers get healthier. For now, though, the five-game losing streak looms large over this team.