Arguably the most-anticipated game of the second half of the NBA's regular season takes place Wednesday night in Phoenix when Shaquille O'Neal makes his Suns debut against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers (who are +3.5 on WagerWeb.com).
That's right, it's Shaq vs. Kobe again, only this time they are battling for the Pacific Division crown and playoff seeding.
"I'm going to be looking to get out like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens," Shaq said Tuesday.
O'Neal says his once-injured hip feels good but will play only about 20 minutes against the Lakers, Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni said. O'Neal will be in the starting lineup.
"We know that's our team," D'Antoni said. "Let's get there as quickly as we can. Also, it's a 48-minute game, to spread 20 minutes out of 48 you don't want him to warm up and then sit down and get cold."
D'Antoni says people will be surprised about how well a motivated O'Neal can move, and Steve Nash says he will fit in with the high-flying Suns.
"We're going to have to adjust slightly to his strengths," Nash said, "but you know where he's strong we've been weak, and that's having a big presence in the paint, taking up space and guarding the rim."
O'Neal insisted there is nothing special about the opponent being the Lakers, other than the fact that it's a tough Pacific Division foe.
"We had more great times than bad times together, but they've moved on, I've moved on," said O'Neal, averaging a career-low 14.2 points along with 7.8 rebounds. "I have a new team now and I have a new focus."The Suns won three of four heading into the break, including a 109-97 victory over Dallas on Thursday behind 26 each from Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa.
Los Angeles resumed play after the All-Star break with its fifth straight win, 122-93 over Atlanta on Tuesday as Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol each had 23 points before sitting out the fourth quarter. It was Gasol's first game in Los Angeles since he was acquired in a trade with Memphis on Feb. 1. He is averaging 20.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in seven games with the Lakers, in which they are 6-1.
Los Angeles (18-10 on the road) has won two of three from the Suns this season, including a 119-98 rout on Nov. 2 in Phoenix (Kobe had 16 points and 11 rebounds). But those games hardly matter as Shaq and Gasol weren't involved.
If the Lakers (36-17) win tonight, they will clinch a head-to-head playoff tiebreaker with the Suns (37-16) and create a first-place tie in the Pacific Division.
"The series is in the balance and we'd like to take that, there's no doubt about it," L.A. coach Phil Jackson said. "Also, it would give us a little bit of a boost in the direction we want to go toward winning this division."
ATS Los Angeles Phoenix
Record: | 36-17-0 (.679) | 37-16-0 (.698) |
| As Favorite: | 27-6-0 (.818) | 36-13-0 (.735) |
| As Underdog: | 9-11-0 (.450) | 1-3-0 (.250) |
| At Home: | 18-7-0 (.720) | 20-6-0 (.769) |
| On Road: | 18-10-0 (.643) | 17-10-0 (.630) |
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