Apr 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

What to Watch as Suns Close Preseason vs Lakers

Originally posted on Phoenix Suns on SI | By Donnie Druin | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 5:27 PM ET

The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers battle at Mortgage Matchup Center on Tuesday night for a 7:00 PM tip, which will conclude Phoenix's preseason campaign.

The Suns previously faced the Lakers in Palm Springs, walking away with a blowout win to start their preseason.

After splitting their two-game series with the Brooklyn Nets in China, the Suns return home for a short turnaround that likely won't see many of their stars in action.

What to watch for tonight's Suns vs Lakers matchup:

Stars May Not Shine for Suns

With a quick turnaround after a long trip back home from China, the Suns are likely to see majority of their top players tonight ahead of next Tuesday's regular season opener.

"I'm not sure yet. Coach (Jordan Ott) will decide," Dillon Brooks told reporters at shootaround today (h/t Duane Rankin).

"We just got back from China. Still haven't fully got back. I was up until like a.m. We'll see what happens, but I'm always ready to play no matter if I come off a flight or if I haven't gotten any sleep. I'm ready to play whatever minutes."

Rankin also mentioned it's unlikely Devin Booker plays, though could we see either Jalen Green or Mark Williams on the court? Both have missed the entirity of preseason due to injuries.

Luka Doncic Set to Make Preseason Debut

Doncic will look to begin his first full season with the Lakers after arriving via an eye-opening trade last season.

Doncic, who played the entire summer for his national team, was enjoying a bit of a rest period before he got the green light for tonight. He didn't play in the first matchup against Phoenix, and neither did LeBron James - who is expected to miss a few weeks due to nerve/sciatica problems.

Marcus Smart and Austin Reaves are also expected to play tonight according to Lakers head coach JJ Redick.

Rookies Galore for Phoenix

With many of the top veterans expected to sit, look for the Suns' crop of rookies to potentially play big minutes.

The trio of Khaman Maluach, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea all offer unique skillsets to the Suns, and extended playing time tonight will only give them more beneficial reps ahead of a regular season where Phoenix just might lean on their younger crop of players more than recent years.

"I'm getting used to it still but I like it more. It's so much space. I'm not used to having that much space to do what I can do," Fleming told reporters (h/t Kellan Olson).