Even though it was harder than anticipated, the Lakers managed to defeat the Phoenix Suns 121-107 on Friday night.
The Suns were under no pressure to start their players, so Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Ayton all sat because they already had the fourth seed secured up and were coming off a back-to-back.
Even with fewer players, the Suns battled in a contest the Lakers just couldn’t afford to lose. Up until the Lakers ultimately grabbed control with a powerful third quarter finish, the score was tight throughout.
Lakers overcome the thin Suns
The other players had to step up after LeBron James and Anthony Davis performed much below their season norms.
D’Angelo Russell had a big fourth quarter, scoring 24 points to lead all scorers. Malik Beasley came off the bench and produced 21 points, hitting 40% from three-point range. During a 22 point performance on Friday, Austin Reaves continued to add stunning footage to his highlight reel.
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With a careless first period in which they enabled the Suns to remain in the game and even grab the lead, the Lakers did themselves no favours. James just had one basket in the paint before settling for jump shots. The squad missed open baskets and outrebounded their smaller rivals 31–23. They were behind 62-61 at the break.
Russell and Beasley were the main positives in the first quarters. Russell was effective from the field, scoring 15 points on six of his first nine shots. Beasley also started to heat up in the first half, making three of his three-point attempts after a string of sluggish performances.
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By the start of the third quarter, the Lakers were still unable to overtake the Suns by a large margin. Although James’ three-pointer gave them a four-point lead, they promptly lost it as Phoenix went on a run to retake the lead at the halfway point.
Luckily, the squad came back to win the quarter thanks to some crucial rebounds from Davis, more successful shots from Beasley, and even participation from Troy Brown Jr.
James eventually found his groove in the fourth, and an 11-0 run helped the purple and gold increase their lead. James scored seven points in the final 12 minutes to finish the game with a meagre 16 points after entering the final quarter with just nine.
Russell’s three consecutive three-pointers helped the Lakers wrap up the victory once they had the game in hand.
Main Points
There is still a lot up for grabs, and with only one game left in the regular season, it all comes down to Sunday.
Although it is mathematically possible for the Lakers to get to the sixth seed, they must defeat the Jazz in addition to the Warriors losing their last game to the Trailblazers and the Pelicans falling to the Timberwolves. Whatever of the results, we’ll be there to cover the next championship game, play-in game, or first-round encounter.