It's time for Game 5 between the Los Angeles Lakers are Phoenix Suns. Anthony Davis (left groin strain) is out, meaning LeBron James may have to turn back the clock and carry an outsized burden. Chris Paul finally looked like himself in the second half of Game 4, and the Lakers still have no answer for Deandre Ayton.

As a reminder: Teams that have won Game 5 in a 2-2 series have gone on to advance roughly 80 percent of the time in NBA history. James, meanwhile, has never lost a first-round series, nor back-to-back playoff games with the Lakers. On the other hand, LeBron has never been a No. 7 seed.

The Lakers are 11-7 with LeBron and without Davis in 2020-21, though a road playoff game against a 51-win Suns team is a different beast. Here are five things to look for in the biggest game of the Lakers' repeat quest thus far.

Lakers Game 5 focal points:

1) LeBron's load

#LakersTwitter is expecting a vintage performance from James — perhaps resembling Game 1 in the 2018 NBA Finals.

“These shoulders are built for a reason,” James said Sunday night. “If it takes for me to put some more on top of it, then so be it. Win, lose or draw, I’m ready for the challenge.”

That's a hype quote from ‘Bron, and his unmatched track record leaves little reason for doubt. However, whether James — at 36 with a bum ankle — can dominate a playoff game for 40-plus minutes remains a fair question.

James chooses his spots more carefully now, especially when it comes to flipping on his “attack mode” switch. James has eclipsed 25 points on two occasions since February. He hasn't exceeded 40 minutes since Feb. 22.

“In terms of the minutes, we’re going to do whatever we need to do to win this game,” Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said. “That’s the simplest way to put it. If he plays 48 minutes, he’s not going to be fresh at crunch time.”

Considering how the Lakers have struggled with James on the bench all season, including this series, Los Angeles may need James to dictate the tempo and seize the ballgame for more possessions than he has all season.

After the Lakers' 100-92 Game 4 loss at Staples Center on Sunday, Vogel spun the expected increased workload for James, calling back to 2013:

“When I competed against the Miami Heat and either Wade or Bosh were out, more touches for ‘Bron — that wasn’t necessarily a good thing for my Pacers teams.”

James may be more wisened with experience in 2021, but he's also more grounded and less physically imposing on both ends than he was in his Miami prime.

Expectations are high, and the order is tall. LeBron has a chance to do something special.

2) Adjustments

The Lakers will need to make some key stylistic and lineup adjustments to give LeBron some help — both spatially and in the scoring department.

One expected change without AD will be to downsize, space out, and speed up.

“We just got to play in space, play with pace,” Kyle Kuzma said. “I think if we can do that, get downhill, just get the ball popping, we’ll be alright.”

The best way for Los Angeles to push the pace is by turning defense into offense.

“Playing fast, getting stops,” Dennis Schroder said about how they need to approach Game 5. “We were No. 1 on the defensive end. Trying to get steals and play fast.”

In his media session on Monday, Schroder said the Lakers spent film study and practice working on “unselfishness without the ball,” as in using cutting and player movement to generate open looks for others.

Additionally, the Lakers should make more of an effort to put James in spread pick-and-rolls — whether he's playing alongside Montrezl Harrell, Andre Drummond, or Marc Gasol.

Considering how well Gasol played in Game 4 (12 points, eight rebounds), I expect him to get the bulk of the center minutes if AD can't go. The Big Spaniard is shooting 60% from three this series and clearly opens up the floor better than any other center option.

“More movement,” Gasol said about the game plan on Tuesday. “It’s gonna be probably more LeBron, which is not a bad thing by any means. More space for the rollers, more space for the drivers.”

3) Who else needs to step up?

I touched on this Monday. Beyond James, Los Angeles will rely on its most adept complementary scorers — Dennis Schroder, Kyle Kuzma, and Harrell — to help carry the scoring duties and prevent the Lakers' offense from plummeting when James sits.

“We have to win the minutes when he’s off,” Vogel said.

Schroder has been fantastic (22 PPG) in the two Lakers' wins this series and abysmal in their two losses (11 PPG). If he wants top-tier guard money in free agency, Game 5 presents an opportunity to prove he's worth it.

“I think with AD and Bron, when both of them are playing, they try to take away them two,” he said. “I got to be aggressive then. Off the ball screens and stuff, try to touch the paint, and then if I’m open, just shoot it with confidence. And if they’re committing, just find my open teammates.”

Harrell was effective in Game 1 but has seen five minutes of action since. A pivot to small-ball could mean more looks for Trezz — one of the few Lakers capable of dropping 25 points — in Game 5. Los Angeles may need it.

Kuzma's transition into a do-it-all contributor has been valuable, but his scoring has been too sparse versus the Suns. I wouldn't be surprised to see Kuzma move into the starting lineup in place of AD. Either way, he needs to look for his shot when he's out there.

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4) 3-point shooting

Besides unavailability, cold shooting plagued the Lakers more than any issue in 2020-21. That trend has continued into the playoffs.

The Lakers are shooting 29.1% from deep in Round 1, many of which have been open looks.

“They’re giving us some good looks, and we’re just not knocking 'em down,” James said. “We’ve had this happen before in the past, but we always trust each other, we’re gonna trust the pass, get the ball moving from side to side, and trust our shots. And get up there and knock them down.”

Phoenix has been clogging the lane to force the Lakers to hit shots, and so far the plan has worked. The Lakers should keep letting it fly. The Lakers have attempted 40 or more threes in a game seven times all season, including in Game 4. As long as the looks are good, they have to trust that more will go in.

The Lakers did get some good news on Tuesday afternoon. ESPN reported that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — who missed Game 4 with a sore knee — will give it a go in Game 5. KCP led the Lakers in 3-point accuracy during the regular season, yet made just 1-of-13 through the first three games.

5) Health

Above all else, health will be the most important factor in this game, and the series going forward.

KCP's return is welcome, but nothing is more important than Davis' groin and James' ankle.

For Game 5, James' ability to dominate on his gimpy ankle, Caldwell-Pope's effectiveness, and Chris Paul's shoulder will all be X-factors. Considering how (dangerously) physical this series has been, both teams escaping the game (or even a quarter) unscathed will be a challenge unto itself.