Game Recap: Suns fall to LeBron-less Lakers, 107-96

The Phoenix Suns had a golden opportunity to gain ground on Dallas today. They failed.

The Phoenix Suns once again disappointed in a game they had a great opportunity to gain ground in. The Suns trailed the majority of the game by double figures and never put together a strong enough run to get back into it.

It was another game to forget from start to finish. Sound familiar?

Dallas is doing everything in their power to keep Phoenix in the hunt for the 10 seed, but the Suns can’t help themselves. They’ll get another shot tomorrow at home against the Raptors.

Top Performers

• Kevin Durant — 21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 6-17 FG
• Devin Booker — 19 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 6-17 FG
• Ryan Dunn — 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 5-12 FG
• Luka Doncic — 33 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 8-20 FG
• Austin Reaves — 28 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 10-21 FG

Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

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First Half

The Lakers got off to a strong start, scoring the first seven points of the game to make it 7-0 LA.

The bleeding stopped after a Ryan Dunn triple. The momentum quickly swung back in Phoenix’s favor, going on a 9-1 run to give them a 9-8 lead.

Then, the Lakers took control again through Jaxson Hayes living at the free-throw line and a Luka step-back three. The offense? Non-existent. The defense? Nowhere to be found. The Suns were sleepwalking through another quarter.

This clip was a perfect summary of what the first quarter entailed.

Phoenix scored 15 first-quarter points. Luka scored 13 first-quarter points. The Suns trialed 31-15 after one.

The Suns fought back with a 10-0 run to make it a 31-21 game. This run notably came with KD on the bench. The Lakers responded well, led by Austin Reaves, to push their lead back to 17.

The caption below is in reference to the patience fans have for watching this team.

It was all LA in the opening half.

Heading into the break, Phoenix trailed 54-37.

2nd Half

Collin Gillespie started the second half for Phoenix in place of Bradley Beal due to left hamstring tightness. Shocker.

Kevin Durant drilled a three after a rough shooting start from the Suns forward. It was more of the same in the third quarter, with the Suns’ effort clearly not there.

Just as I finished typing the sentence above, they went on a 5-0 run to cut the lead down to 11 and force a Lakers timeout.

Durant scored 8 points early in the quarter to get back on track. A Royce O’Neale three cut the lead down to just 8.

Cody Martin made his Suns debut in the third quarter, grabbing three boards and blocking one shot in 3 minutes. Every time it looked like the Suns had a run in them, the Lakers responded.

Phoenix trailed 85-73 after three quarters of action.

Tyus Jones drilled a three to cut the Lakers’ lead down to 9, only for an Austin Reaves four-point play to follow it up.

Devin Booker picked up his fifth foul with just over 8:30 remaining in the ball game. Cody Martin scored his first points in a Suns uniform with a three-point play off an offensive rebound to make it an 11-point game.

Phoenix made a couple of fake comebacks that the Lakers quickly extinguished. On to the next one.

Up Next?

The Suns will host the Raptors at home tomorrow night.

Photo by Vaughn Ridley/NBAE via Getty Images

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