The battered Phoenix Suns are set to receive some much-needed reinforcements as they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night in an NBA Cup contest.
Phoenix has struggled without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, going 1-6 in Durant’s absence and 0-5 since Beal went down. The Suns have lost their last five games, most recently falling 138-122 at home to the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Durant, 36, was in top form before his injury, averaging 27.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. The two-time NBA Finals MVP had made 24 of 56 shots (42.9 percent) from 3-point range. Beal, 31, has been averaging 17.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.
Phoenix will be eager to have both stars back on the court after suffering four double-digit losses during their five-game skid.
The Suns should be well-rested, having had an extended break since their last game.
The Lakers and Suns will meet for the third time this season, having split their two previous matchups in late October. Durant scored 30 points in both games, while Lakers big man Anthony Davis averaged 32.
Los Angeles has lost its last two games, most recently suffering a 127-102 defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
The Lakers were outscored 70-39 in the second half by Denver. LeBron James scored 18 points but committed six turnovers, bringing his total to 33 over the past six games. Davis was outplayed by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, scoring a season-low 14 points on just 6 of 19 shooting.
Davis had scored over 20 points in all 14 appearances this season before his poor outing against Denver. Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 19 points. He has five 20-point efforts this season, including two against Phoenix. Reaves scored 26 in a 123-116 home win on Oct. 25 and 23 in a 109-105 loss at Phoenix on Oct. 28, making five 3-pointers in each game.
The Lakers lead West Group B with a 2-0 record in the NBA Cup competition, after winning the inaugural competition last year. Phoenix is 1-1, with the Oklahoma City Thunder (1-1), San Antonio Spurs (1-1), and Utah Jazz (0-2) also part of the group.
