PHOENIX — The Lakers got close to overcoming their early struggles, but didn’t put together the necessary finishing touches Sunday against the Phoenix Suns, falling to their Western Conference foes 123-113 at Footprint Center in a matchup that had significant implications in the standings.
LeBron James (28 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds, two steals and one block), Anthony Davis (22 points, 14 rebounds, three steals, two blocks) and D’Angelo Russell (20 points, seven assists) all had moments that helped the Lakers (31-28) overcome their slow start.
But the Suns’ timely shotmaking prevented the Lakers from leaving Phoenix with a win, putting the Lakers at 1-2 since the All-Star break.
The Lakers fell behind by a significant margin because of self-inflicted errors: committing turnovers and failing to finish defensive possessions with rebounds.
They committed five first-quarter turnovers for 11 Suns points. Those giveaways plus the Suns dominating the offensive glass (six offensive rebounds for seven second-chance points) contributed to an early 20-point deficit (38-18) and a 17-point (45-27) Phoenix lead at the end of the first.
The Lakers took better care of the ball and cleaned up their defensive rebounding going forward, helping them win the middle two quarters 62-50 – taking a 72-63 deficit into halftime and a 95-90 deficit going into the fourth.
They cut the Suns’ lead to just two points multiple times late in the third, but the Suns’ shotmaking from their role players prevented the Lakers from getting any closer – especially in the game’s critical moments late in the fourth.
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Coming out of a Lakers timeout with the Suns leading 110-104 with 3:55 remaining, Royce O’Neale (20 points on six 3s to go with 10 rebounds) and Grayson Allen (team-high 24 points) made back-to-back 3s to give the Suns a 12-point lead with three minutes left.
After a James missed layup 1½ minutes later, O’Neale knocked down another 3 in transition, putting the Suns up 121-108 with 1:24 left. O’Neale was making his first start with the Suns, in place of the injured Bradley Beal (left hamstring injury management), since Phoenix acquired him from the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
Devin Booker (21 points, nine assists) sealed the Suns’ victory with a pull-up jumper 30 seconds later. Ham called timeout and both teams took their rotation players out with 53 seconds left.
Sunday’s result moved the Suns (34-24) 3½ games ahead of the Lakers in the standings.