PHOENIX — Pau Gasol will be back at center on Monday in Phoenix, when the Lakers play the surprising Suns.

Gasol sat out the Lakers’ (13-14) loss in Golden State on Saturday due to an upper respiratory illness. By Monday, however, he was back with the Lakers for their morning shoot around.

In addition to Gasol, coach Mike D’Antoni is further tweaking his rotation, going to his 13th starting lineup through 27 games. Shawne Williams, who has started six games this season, will replace Jordan Hill in the lineup.

“The next couple of games,” D’Antoni said, “teams go smaller, they spread the floor. We want to be sure we’re able to match that.”

After playing Phoenix at US Airways Center, the Lakers will host the two-time defending champion Miami Heat on Christmas.

The Suns are one of the big surprises in the NBA behind first-year head coach Jeff Hornacek and former Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe. The Suns are 16-10, with wins over Portland, Houston and, on Dec. 10, the Lakers. They sport the NBA’s fifth-best offense, scoring 106.1 points per 100 possessions.

Bill Oram covers the Los Angeles Lakers for the Southern California News Group. He covered the Utah Jazz for the Salt Lake Tribune. He is the (usually) bearded guy in the background wearing a University of Montana hat.