Paul set to make history as Suns prep for Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers only have LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Talen Horton-Tucker back from the team that got swept by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of last season’s playoffs.
Their new-look roster now has Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony, along with Rajon Rondo and Dwight Howard, whom both were part of the 2020 NBA championship team.
Trying to piece and configure all this together, Los Angeles lost its season opener with Westbrook, its biggest offseason acquisition, looking so out of place.
Still, Suns coach Monty Williams has an idea of how to gauge one of the favorites to win an NBA title despite having such an overhaul with its roster as James, Davis, Westbrook and Anthony were all named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team of the 75 greatest players ever in league history.
“I think we have view them in the same way that you view Denver,“Williams said as the Suns face the Lakers on Friday night at STAPLES Center.
“It’s a team you eliminated. They’re going to come in with, they want to win, and two, you beat them in the playoffs. That’s something that we have to respect. We also have to respect who they are as an organization with all the championships and they have two of the best players in the history of the game.”
The Suns (0-1) and Lakers (0-1) are both looking to pick up their first wins of the season as Phoenix lost Wednesday to Denver and Los Angeles fell to Golden State on Tuesday.
“Sometimes in the past, our losses have created an increase in focus,” Suns forward Cam Johnson said. “The increase in focus is what we need right now in terms of just doing what we need to do, doing what we’re capable of doing. Doing things that we’ve shown we can do in preseason.”
This is the first of a two-game road trip for the Suns, play the second of a back-to-back Saturday at Portland (0-1). The Suns beat the Lakers twice in preseason and drummed the Blazers, 119-74, in their preseason finale in Phoenix.
“It’s going to be a tough one in L.A.,” Suns All-Star Devin Booker said. “And the same with Portland. It’s the NBA and it’s back. The games are coming and we understand that. It’s a long season, 82 games plus for us and we realize that.”
Friday will likely be a historic day as Suns All-Star point guard Chris Paul is seven points away from being the first player in NBA history to score at least 20,000 career points and dish out at least 10,000 assists.
“For him to be the only one, that’s pretty darnn cool,” Williams said.
Paul was also named to the 75th anniversary team.