March 9th, 2017

The Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night, but it’s debatable whether or not the 122- 110 win on the road was a good thing.

Both the Lakers and Suns are in contention for the 2nd and 3rd worst records in this summer’s NBA draft, which gives both teams a high probability of getting a top 3 pick in the 2017 draft.  That’s imperative for the Lakers, who only keep their pick this year if it lands in the top 3.

After beating the Suns, the Lakers are now just 1 game worse than Phoenix in the standings.  If the Lakers finish with the 2nd worst record, they have a 56% chance of keeping this years draft pick.  However, if they finish 3rd, their chances fall to 46%.

“That’s going to play itself out in the end,” Lakers Coach Luke Walton said. “No matter what happens, it’s still going to come down to the luck of the balls type of thing. My job is to coach these guys to get better. We’re going to continue to do that and try to win every time we play.”

D’Angelo Russell continued his scoring tear on Thursday night, scoring 28 points, which included six 3-pointers.  Jordan Clarkson also added 19 points, as the Lakers snapped an 8-game losing streak.

The last time the Lakers played in Phoenix was on February 15th, when they lost by 36 points.  That was the most one-sided Suns win in the history of the Suns-Lakers matchups.

Phoenix was led by Devin Booker’s 23 points, along with 18 from Marquese Chriss, and 17 from T.J. Warren.

The Lakers will play another team in the lottery on Sunday night…..the Philadelphia 76ers.  Interestingly enough, if the Lakers pick doesn’t land in the top 3, it goes to Philadelphia.