The Lakers have defeated the Suns twice already this season heading into their in-season tournament quarterfinals matchup on Tuesday night. However, Phoenix didn’t have Devin Booker available in either of those games.
That will change in the third meeting, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic writes. Booker, who has dealt with ankle and calf injuries, is ready to go after posting 34 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on Saturday against Memphis.
“Missing any game is tough, I’m excited for this one,” Booker said. “I know they’re playing well as of now. They’re back healthy. They have their roster back. It’ll be a heavyweight match in L.A. A lot on the line. Winner goes to Vegas. I think everyone is looking forward to it. It should be fun.”
We have more on the Suns:
- Nassir Little has seen action in 14 games off the bench since being acquired from Portland as part of the three-team Damian Lillard blockbuster. Little is adjusting to his role with a contender after being moved from the rebuilding Trail Blazers, Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports notes. “In the league, especially on a team like this, you gotta be able to stay ready,” said Little, who is signed through the 2026/27 season. “At full strength, there’s gonna be guys who are good enough to be rotation players who may not be playing, but you can’t take that as an insult. You have to just understand kind of what the situation is and make sure you stay in shape, make sure you continue to work on your game.”
- Eric Gordon is listed as questionable to play on Tuesday due to a knee injury, Rankin tweets. Gordon didn’t play against Memphis on Saturday after seeing 33 minutes of action the previous night against Denver.
- Bradley Beal remains out due to his lingering back issues. That will be the 18th game he’s missed this season, which already will make him ineligible for any end-of-season awards, Bourguet tweets. The new CBA requires a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for those awards.