The Los Angeles Lakers look to rebound from their first playoff loss in nine games when they visit the Phoenix Suns for Game 4 of their NBA Playoff Western Conference Final. Tip is a 9 PM ET on TNT.
The Lakers-Suns Game 4 odds list the Lakers as 2-point favorites and the over/under is 220.5.
The Phoenix Suns used a zone defense to completely shut down the Lakers offense. The exact numbers depend a lot on who was keeping stats, but the Lakers shot about 35 percent against the Suns zone after shooting 58 percent in Games 1 and 2.
Amare Stoudemire was the offensive story of Game 3 for Phoenix. He led all scorers with 42 points and 11 rebounds while also being a more active presence on the defensive end of the court. He attacked the hoop aggressively all night taking advantage of the Lakers who were preoccupied with defending the 3-point shot and was rewarded with points and fouls.
Presuming Stoudemire keeps attacking the net aggressively, don’t be surprised to see the Lakers collapse a little more than in Game 3 which should open up more three-point scoring opportunities for the Suns.
Don’t be surprised to see the Suns zone change up a bit. They went to the zone out of desperation after giving up 32 points in the first quarter. Alvin Gentry was reluctant to go to the zone because it looked terrible in practice. Now that they’ve figured it out a little, they might be able to add a few wrinkles.
The Suns bench still isn’t performing with just 15 points and only three field goals in Game 3.
The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t panicking yet after just one loss. They regrouped and dominated their opposition in the first round after the Oklahoma City Thunder won two in a row to tie the series at two. They can expect to regroup again.
The big challenge will be replacing Andrew Bynum. Bynum played limited minutes in Game 3 because of foul trouble and knee pain. It looks like he will play tonight, but he is becoming a liability against an athletic Stoudemire and will probably see limited minutes.
Kobe Bryant continued to produce with 36 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds.
I'm a basketball fan from Vancouver, Canada. Losing the Grizzlies was bitter-sweet. They sucked balls, so I never really started supporting them, but now I only get to catch games on TV.