Lakers, 25-15 Away, Play Phoenix in Final Road Game

PHOENIX —  The Lakers, one of only two teams in the National Basketball Assn. that have won more road games than they have lost, will play their final away game of the regular season tonight against the Suns, who are missing the playoffs for the third straight season after eight consecutive appearances.

The Lakers are 25-15 on the road. Only Boston, with a record of 21-18, is also above .500. The Lakers were 22-7 at one point but have lost 8 of their last 11 on the road and had a 5-game losing streak that ended this week with consecutive wins in San Antonio and Dallas.

The Lakers did not practice Thursday, and a decision will be made today whether James Worthy--who sat out the Dallas game with a sore left knee--will play tonight.

The Suns, who have lost four of five meetings to the Lakers, were eliminated from playoff contention Wednesday night with a 121-98 loss at Seattle, where they were outscored in the fourth quarter, 39-18. That loss put them in the running for the Danny Manning sweepstakes, also known as the NBA lottery draft.

If the Suns fail to beat the Lakers tonight or the Rockets in Houston Sunday, a distinct possibility, they will have failed to win at least 30 games for the first time since their 1968-69 expansion season.

The Lakers have announced dates and times of the first two games of their opening-round playoff series against San Antonio. They will play the Spurs in Game 1 next Friday at the Forum at 7:30 p.m., with Game 2 scheduled for Sunday, May 1, also at 7:30 p.m. Prime Ticket will televise both games.