Here is what you need to know before the Lakers’ visit their neighbor state for a meeting in Phoenix.
1) The Lakers are coming off their first home win of the season over Detroit on Sunday. In that game, their defense held their opponent to a season-low 85 points. After allowing a league-high 116.8 points through its first four contests, L.A. has yielded 95.7 in six games since, which ranks 11th-best in the NBA.
2) The Lakers will be without the services of Kobe Bryant, who did not fly to Phoenix after playing 36 minutes in Sunday’s victory. The 17-time all-star has missed two games so far, with Metta World Peace starting at small forward in place of him both times.
3) The Lakers are completing their second back-to-back of the season, which bodes well for the home team. Phoenix is currently 4-0 against teams playing in the second leg of games on consecutive days.
4) Roy Hibbert has been a swat machine, ranking sixth in the league in blocks (2.6). The 7-foot-2 rim protector has at least two stuffs in all 10 games this season, which is the longest streak by a Laker since Shaquille O’Neal did so in a franchise-best dozen straight contests in 1999.
5) L.A. is seeking redemption against the Suns, who swept the purple and gold last year for the first time in a decade. Phoenix has been unkind to the Lakers, who have lost eight straight in Arizona, last returning to Los Angeles with a win on Jan. 5, 2011.
6) Eric Bledsoe has been piping hot as of late. The 25-year-old is looking to set a new career-best with a fifth-straight 20-point game. In his last four performances, Bledsoe is averaging 26.5 points on 58.2 percent shooting, while hitting 9-of-17 3-pointers.
7) Phoenix features the youngest player in the league, Devin Booker (19 years, 17 days). The 13th pick of the NBA Draft, Booker has also formed a friendship with the Lakers’ top selection, D’Angelo Russell.
8) The Suns may be without Markieff Morris (left knee sprain), who was one of the most clutch shooters in the NBA last year. He led the league in the final two minutes of one-possession games by hitting 19-of-35 shots from the field (54.3 percent). Like Morris, former Laker Ronnie Price (concussion) is also listed as questionable.
9) The Suns have a greater D-League influence than any team in the NBA. Half of their 14 players have experience in the NBA Development League, including Bledsoe, who once played a pair of games for the Bakersfield Jam.
10) Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek was an accomplished shooter in his own right, winning the Three-Point Shootout at All-Star Weekend in 1998 and 2000. To capture his first title as a member of Utah, he had to defeat a field that included current Lakers shooting coach Tracy Murray, who was then playing for Washington.
