Forget Opening Night, time to Beat LA
By Adam Maynes
Phoenix Suns (0-1) v Los Angeles Lakers (0-1)
Friday 10/19/2017 7pm
Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ
Arizona Sports 98.7FM/Fox Sports Arizona
2017-18 – Series tied 0-0
All-Time Series – Lakers lead 136-105
Last Matchup – Suns won 122-100
Suns’ Last Game – Loss to the Portland Trail Blazers 124-76
Lakers’ Last Game –
2017-18 Suns’ Scoring Averages – PTS/G: 76.0 (28th of 28) Opp PTS/G: 124.0 (26th of 28)
2017-18 Lakers’ Scoring Averages –
Preview
After a shaky preseason, the Phoenix Suns opened up their regular season looking like a bunch of high school freshman against the local college varsity. Although they began the game and year up 9-2 and looking like this would be a team that would not only run with fluidity and speed but play decent enough defense to keep their opponents off balance. But three minutes into the first quarter everything flipped, and, if you want to be cynical, the Blazers went on a 122-67 run from that point forward.
The 48 points loss was not only the worst in franchise history eclipsing the previous worst of 44 points that had stood for the past 29 years, but it was also the worst loss ever on opening night for any NBA team in history.
If you’d like to check out the official Valley of the Suns wrapup of the game, you can find it here.
At least the Suns don’t have to stew on it for too long as they have their Division rival Los Angeles Lakers in town only 48 hours later, and on the second half of a Lakers back-to-back.
The Suns and their fans always want to take down the Lakers, especially at home, and probably no more than this particular matchup because of the opening night blowout. However, this Suns and Lakers rivalry has a little extra emphasis on it as it is the infamous Lonzo Ball’s first road game, and first visit to the Valley of the Suns.
Many have speculated that the Suns actually tanked in 2016-17 with the hope of landing either Lonzo Ball or Markelle Fultz and not Josh Jackson, so Suns fans cannot help to wonder what the roster would look like Lonzo in particular helming the point guard spot in particular, and who/what General Manager Ryan McDonough could have received in return for Eric Bledsoe.
Granted, had Lonzo landed in Phoenix, there would have been the added circus of his father, and whether or not LaVar would have forced the Suns’ hand in demanding a trade to the Lakers, or if he would have accepted the Suns as the long-term location for this son.
At press time, the Lakers have not played in their opening game against the Los Angeles Clippers, so there isn’t much to say about how they performed, Lonzo Ball in particular. What we do have though is their preseason record and stats, where the team finished 2-4, with Lonzo Ball only playing in two games, averaging 6.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 3.5 turnovers in 28.8 minutes of action.
Next: What would an all-guard lineup for the Suns look like?
Interesting Statistics
Phoenix Suns
1. For all the negatives and records set that the Suns would not have wanted to be a part of, the 76 points they scored against the Blazers was not the least ever scored on opening night for the franchise. That dubious record belongs to the 2002-03 Suns who scored only 73 points in a 73-86 loss to the Seattle Super Sonics. The massive difference between that Suns team and the 2017-18 one is that the 02-03 team averaged only 95.5 points per game, and allowed only 94.4.
2. The Suns are now 25-25 all-time on opening night.
3. Phoenix Suns Head Coaches records on opening night:
Kerr: 2-0
Fitzsimmons – 4-3
van Breda Kolff – 0-1
MacLeod – 10-4
Wetzel – 0-1
Westphal – 1-3
Ainge – 2-1
Johnson – 0-2
D’Antoni – 2-2
Porter – 0-1
Gentry – 1-3
Hornazek – 2-1
Watson – 0-2
Next: T.J. Warren will be the league's Most Iproved Player in 2017-18
Los Angeles Lakers
1. These stats are from the preseason so take them with a giant grain of salt, but it was Kyle Kuzma who led the Lakers in scoring over their six preseason games with 17.3 points per outing.
2. Prior to their own opening night, the Lakers are 5-5 in their last ten season starters going back to the 2007-08 season.
3. For those of us in the Valley of the Suns who are distressed by the Suns’ own opening night blowout loss, remember, one game – especially the season opener – doesn’t mean a whole lot, if anything. Last season the Lakers defeated their opening night opponent 120-114 on their way to a 26-56 record. Their opponent? The future 55-27 and Western Conference Semifinalist Houston Rockets.