For the first time this season, the Lakers are on a losing streak after being manhandled in Phoenix on Tuesday, losing 132-108.
Austin Reaves returned from injury in the contest, coming off the bench to
play 22 minutes. It was one of the few bright spots on a night where LA’s defense allowed Phoenix to shoot 58.8% from the field with 62 points in the paint.
The Lakers jumped to a quick five-point lead thanks to Jake LaRavia. Dillon Brooks had six points for the Suns in response. Both teams were playing well offensively with Phoenix shooting 70% while LA was at 50%.
Ayton was having a dominant start with six points, four rebounds, and three steals.
Los Angeles struggled to protect the paint, allowing the Suns to score 16 of their first 23 points in the interior. At the 2:15 mark, the Lakers were only down by one. Reaves logged in five minutes off the bench, scoring four points.
The rest of the quarter was a close battle with the Suns only being up by two going into the second period.
LA started the frame rough offensively. Phoenix extended its lead to eight points on 62% shooting as the Lakers were offering little resistance. LeBron and Smart combined for seven points to cut the deficit to four. Reaves began to heat up, tallying seven points.
Royce O’Neale knocked down his third triple of the half and Jordan Goodwin also drained one. Behind those, Phoenix pushed its lead to double digits.
Reaves entered double figures with 11 points. With him coming off the bench, LA’s bench scoring was slightly improved. He did, unfortunately, pick up four fouls.
Phoenix was up to 36 points in the paint, which was the main reason they were able to extend their lead, as they were shooting 33% from behind the arc. Free throw struggles had Los Angeles shooting 57% from the line, further leading to their deficit.
At halftime, the purple and gold were down by 10.
The third period began with a 3-pointer from O’Neale for the Suns. Mark Williams then converted on a three-point play as the lead ballooned to 18, forcing a timeout for the Lakers.
Out of the break, LA missed a shot and Williams scored on the other end in the paint for the Suns, a microcosm of the night for the purple and gold.
Los Angeles was playing atrocious basketball with no energy and zero effort defensively while getting completely overpowered. Brooks was now the leading scorer for the Suns with 23 points.
The Lakers did pick up a tiny bit of their offense, scoring nine points, including a jumper at the buzzer by Reaves. It didn’t matter, though, as they were down 26 going into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter happened.
Key Player Stats
LeBron James ended with 23 points, two rebounds and six assists. Austin Reaves had 17 points with two rebounds and two assists. Deandre Ayton pitched in with 12 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
Marcus Smart notched 14 points with three rebounds and six assists. Jake LaRavia scored 12 points with five rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
No other Laker had more than six points.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets on Thursday at 5:00 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
