For the second time within a week, the Los Angeles Lakers will face the Phoenix Suns. The last time these two teams met was in Phoenix where the Suns handed the Lakers a 99-119 loss.

The Lakers, who are win-less, will look to bounce back from yet another blowout loss against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. A 0-4 start to the season is the worst start for the Lakers in over 50 years.

In this game, the Lakers may get Ryan Kelly back, who has yet to play due to a hamstring injury suffered during training camp. The Suns, on the other hand, will get P.J. Tucker back after he served a three-game suspension due to extreme DUI.

The Lakers have been dreadful on the defensive end of the floor as they have been allowing their opponents to score 118.0 points per game. That is currently by far the worst defense in the NBA. The Suns are an offensive minded team who favor an up-tempo game. Therefore, the Lakers will have to be clean in this one. They cannot let the Suns control the pace and get out in transition.

The Suns torched the Lakers from beyond the arc the last time these two teams met. Los Angeles will have to do a better job of running out on the shooters. They allowed far too many wide open threes to the Suns last time, especially to the Morris brothers.

How will Jeremy Lin play in this game? Lin has been inconsistent so far. He struggled mightily last game against the Golden State Warriors, scoring just six points on 0-for-6 shooting to go along with five costly turnovers. Kobe needs more help in the backcourt if the Lakers are to win any games.

On a brighter note, Ed Davis has been consistent and has helped the bench tremendously with his energy, hustle, rebounding, and scoring near the rim. Jordan Hill has come to life the last two games, scoring 23 points in each game on an efficient 20-of-29 from the field combined. The Lakers will need the same from these two.

Lastly, the bench is going to be a concern for the Lakers. Ryan Kelly could possibly help with some added three-point shooting, which the Lakers badly need, and floor spacing. However, Isaiah Thomas scorched the Lakers with 23 points last time. He and Gerald Green, who is another streaky scorer, are going to give the Lakers a lot of trouble. In addition, Marcus Morris is likely to move to the bench with the return of Tucker, and that gives the Suns more firepower off the bench.

It’s going to be another tough game for the Lakers but if they move the ball around like they did against the Clippers and play some defense, they will give themselves a chance to win this one.

The Suns are coming off a horrible loss against the Utah Jazz where they were blown out by 27 points. They will come out with more hunger and energy, so the Lakers will have to be ready.

Let’s see if the Lakers can finally earn their first victory of the young season.