After getting back on the winning track Friday night, the Lakers (31-27) are back in action against the Suns (33-24) in Phoenix for an early afternoon matchup. The game tips at 12:30 p.m. PT on ABC.

Below are three things to know ahead of the matchup.

STANDINGS CHASE
With just 24 games left in the regular season, the jockeying for position in the pursuit of the most advantageous spot in the standings is in full effect and entering the home stretch. As a reminder, the top-six teams get an automatic bid into the playoffs, with seeds seven through 10 needing to win at least one game to advance as one of the top-eight.

The Lakers are currently in 9th, a half-game up on the 10th place Warriors and 2.5 games overall (and three games in the loss column) behind Sunday’s opponent, the Suns. A win in Phoenix, then, would be very important in the chase for getting into the top-eight, where teams will get two chances to win that single game needed to be playoff bound.

Of the Lakers final 24 games, six of them come against teams currently in seeds 10 through five:

And while every game left on the schedule is important and the Lakers will be trying to win each one of them, those above six will be critical in the chase for getting as high a seed as possible and giving themselves the best chance they can in securing a playoff spot as one of the conference’s eight postseason teams.

STARTING FIVE THRIVING
On February 3rd, the Lakers unveiled their new, “old” starting lineup where Rui Hachimura joined LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves in a matchup against the New York Knicks in the 5th game of the Lakers six-game road trip. The Lakers were just coming off a surprising win in Boston where neither LeBron nor AD played, but the rest of the team played with great energy and skill to take down the rival Celtics.

Including that Knicks game, the Lakers are 6-2 since the change, and that new starting lineup is 5-0 in that stretch and 6-0 overall (they also started and won on January 21st vs. the Blazers). Further, the Lakers have a 9-2 record in the games they have appeared together as a 5-man group, which, though a small sample, shows the success the team has had when getting to that lineup at all vs. their opponents.

The numbers on this group tell a story that says they are good on defense, but excellent on offense, leading to them winning their minutes more often than not. In 101 minutes they have played together so far, they are a +21 overall and have a +8.6 net rating. They are posting a 122.6 offensive rating, indicative of most teams not quite having enough athletic size defensively to not only matchup across a front line that includes Rui, LeBron, and AD, but then also have enough perimeter size to deploy against Russell and Reaves. The result has been the Lakers being able to pick out who they want they want to use as a primary hub of offense and attack that matchup to either score or draw enough help where the Lakers can move the ball against a rotating defense to get a good shot.

In the big picture, however, the success of this group should not be a surprise. Last season, after both Rui and Russell were acquired in separate trades, the team had success when those five players were on the court together, boasting a +44 in 109 combined regular season and playoff minutes and an offensive rating of nearly 150.0 over that period. Them keeping it going now, not only by playing well on offense but by winning games, is necessary if the team is going to get to where it wants to by season’s end.

MATCHUP WITH THE SUNS
Phoenix comes into this game losers of their last two games, both played without Bradley Beal (hamstring) and their most recent one without Jusuf Nurkic (ankle) — both of whom are questionable heading into Sunday’s game vs. the Lakers. Both are vital to what the Suns are trying to do this season, and in particular against a Lakers team that can be challenged on the perimeter defensively (Beal) and will play through AD and attack the paint offensively on the other end (Nurkic). Whether or not either or both can play, then, will be a huge factor in the outcome in this one.

Even they are unable to go, however, that will not impact the amount of defensive attention and game planning that will take place to deal with Suns superstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Both are relentless attackers on the ball, but equally dangerous at moving off screens or serving as spot up options to make defenses pay when they play away from the action. The Lakers, then, will need to be engaged, not just at the point of attack but with their help and on their rotations to try to dent the efficiency of both guys and all the ways they can hurt you.

On the other end, the Lakers have had success against the Suns by playing bigger and attacking the paint to score inside. Anthony Davis has not just been able to go at Nurkic in their individual matchup, but the Lakers have attacked the rim on drives, post ups, and the offensive glass with LeBron, Wood, Rui, and Hayes when they’ve played. Even though Wood is not available Sunday, using that same formula by first playing through LeBron and AD, and then secondarily with Rui and Hayes can set the tone for the Lakers attack and help them establish the terms of engagement for the contest.

Lastly, a key stat will be turnovers and who controls the possession game. In the three games the Laker won vs. Phoenix this season, they forced the Suns into 19.7 turnovers per game while averaging 12 offensive rebounds. In the Suns lone victory, they committed just 13 turnovers and held the Lakers to just nine offensive rebounds. If the Lakers can ramp up the ball pressure and win the battle of the boards, they can get the types of easy baskets that can elevate their offense even further.