The Los Angeles Lakers’ 25/26 season has been turbulent, to say the least. At times, they look like championship contenders, but on nights like Thursday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, they look defeated before the final buzzer.

In a game with plenty of implications in the Western Conference standings, the Phoenix Suns held on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers on a game-winning shot by Royce O’Neale to seal the win.

The Phoenix Suns will conclude their four-game homestand Feb. 26 against the Los Angeles Lakers at Mortgage Matchup Center. The 7 p.m. game will be televised on 3TV and Arizona's Family Sports. The Suns (33-26) are in seventh place in the Western Conference, but they only trail the Lakers (34-23) by two games for sixth place.

Without Brooks and Booker available, the Suns will have an offensively challenged starting five in all likelihood with Ryan Dunn, Conor Gillespie, Jalen Green, Royce O’Neale, and Mark Williams getting the nod. The Suns only scored 77 points with that starting group in a 15-point defeat to the Blazers on Sunday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers (34-23, 6th in Western Conference) go on the road for the first time since Feb. 3 when they visit the Phoenix Suns (33-26, 7th in West) on Thursday (9 ET). LA went 4-4 during their 8-game homestand, while the Suns are 3-7 over their last ten outings.

The NBA trade deadline could not have gone better for the Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns star guard Devin Booker left Thursday’s game with right hip soreness, creating uncertainty for a team battling to secure its postseason position.

Play-by-play action for the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns NBA game from February 26, 2026 on ESPN.