On the brink of collapse, the Lakers come out on top in Phoenix

After theirs elimination from the NBA Cup against the SpursThe Lakers hit the road West with the first stop in Phoenix to challenge the Suns they found Devin Booker (27 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists) after two weeks of absence. Californians opened the score thanks to the “alley” in between Marcus Smart etc Deandre Ayton (20 points, 13 rebounds when shooting 10/11). The former Phoenix center got off to a good start as he made his first four shots of the night, but the Suns responded thanks to his prowess from behind the arc.

At the end of this first act, Phoenix scored 10-0 during which Roy O’Neal scores the winning shot to restore the advantage to his team and the home team leads by a score of 36:31 after twelve minutes of play. The second quarter starts on the same principle as the first with the Lakers team shining inside, while Phoenix is ​​adept at 3-pointers, but Los Angeles continues to chase the score due to numerous turnovers that prevent them from going on a real “run”.

This end of the first half was interrupted by numerous errors such as a LeBron James (26 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists) was the victim of two fouls in the final two seconds of this second act, allowing him to get four free throws. The four-time NBA champion scores three goals and the two teams return to the locker room tied (62-62).

The Lakers take off

The start of the second period was marked by heated exchanges between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks, as is almost always the case between them. At the end of this third act, the Lakers regain the lead thanks to a poster from Jackson Hayes on Very Ighodaro while a few minutes later, Luka Dončić (29 points, 7/25 shooting, 6 assists) finds Gabe Vincent who fired a long-range arrow to give his team a nine-point lead before the start of the fourth quarter (86-77).

The final act that begins with a festival signed by LeBron James. The Lakers star shows off behind the arc and then inside. He then sends Jackson Hayes into the alley-oop and assists Jake LaRavia which goes up for a dunk. In the wake of the “King”, the Lakers have a twenty-point advantage, which is the biggest gap in the match (99-79).

Crazy end game

Except Phoenix doesn’t give up and comes back seven lengths with just two minutes to go. From then on, Dillon Brooks took advantage of LeBron James’ turnover for a midrange shot. Then it is Collin Gillespie which appears behind the arc to bring the Sun to two lengths.

In the final minute, LeBron James made a layup to give the visitors a two-possession lead, but Marcus Smart make a mistake on Grayson Allen who doesn’t tremble at the free throw line. Immediately afterwards, the leader of Los Angeles is confronted Ryan Dunn. With twelve seconds left, Dillon Brooks hits a long shot that gives the Suns the lead, but right after he decides to warm up to LeBron James. The Suns guard commits a second technical foul, a synonym for ejection.

On the Lakers’ final possession, Luka Doncic finds a 3-pointer by LeBron James, who misses but is fouled by Devin Booker. If the “quadra” misses one of his three attempts, it is enough to return the advantage to Los Angeles and offer victory to his team: 117-114.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

Deandre Ayton is the king of his racket. Before the performance of LeBron James at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the best player of the Lakers in this meeting was Deandre Ayton. In his old room, the pivot was unstoppable inside and finished the game with 20 points and 13 rebounds on a near-perfect shooting night as he finished 10/11.

It’s still tense between Dillon Brooks and LeBron James. The last clash between the two teams was marked by tensions between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks, which was once again the case in this game. Since the first half, Dillon Brooks has been aggressive on the Los Angeles winger, already with four fouls in the half. In the third act, everything degenerates. After LeBron James’ counterattack on Phoenix’s back, he returns the ball to the head of the 23rd Lakers. Voluntary action or not, the winger doesn’t like this and the referees have to separate the two. At the end of the match, Dillon Brooks throws a decisive shot at LeBron James, but decides, once again, to enter his opponent of the evening by returning to the defense. The tension rises again and the referees have to intervene. Dillon Brooks gets his second technical foul, synonymous with ejection.

The story of free throws. This game was therefore decided by LeBron James’ decisive free throws and is emblematic of a tense matchup in which the two teams went to the line on more than one occasion. The Lakers shot a total of 43 free throws for 33, compared to Phoenix’s 25 and 21 attempts.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.