There was a buzz between a LeBron James and Kevin Durant matchup that seems to always thrill an NBA crowd.
Although the exciting player matchup didn’t draw many fireworks, the game was intense given what was at stake for both teams. They are neck and neck in the Western Conference, the Lakers at 9th and the Suns at 6th.
The purple and gold got off to a notorious slow start falling behind by 17 in the first quarter and would eventually trail by nine at the half. It seems like the Lakers are unable to crack the code when it comes to getting an early jump on their opponents.
The Lakers clawed back and cut the lead to two at the end of the third quarter but then Grayson Allen hit back-to-back 3’s to grow the lead back to eight and the Suns never looked back.
It seemed like every time the Lakers got close the Suns would get a big offensive rebound from Jusuf Nurkic or Allen would hit a clutch 3-pointer. Their comeback would eventually fall short in the fourth quarter losing 113-123 despite a great effort from LeBron who had a game-high 28 points and 12 assists.
The Lakers remain at 9th in the west and currently sit at 31-28 on the season.
This loss was disappointing not only because they were able to contain the Sun’s biggest stars but because they had another slow defensive start giving up 45 points in the first quarter.
Anthony Davis was asked about the Lakers’ sluggish start to begin the game. ”A couple of plays Nurkic got loose and slipped to the basket for dunks, some and-ones, we fouled a little bit early…I don’t think it was an energy thing, probably more miscommunication than anything,” he said.
The Lakers need to figure out how to be more connected when starting the game. They will eventually fall short of their goal if they can’t lock up their defense after tip-off.
The Lakers’ next four out of five games are against Western Conference teams who are above them in the standings. It is a pivotal stretch if the Lakers want to think about finishing above a play-in spot.
They must bring the energy early on in their next contest against the Clippers on Wednesday night or else they will face similar questions about the energy they bring consistently.
Stay tuned for more Lakers news and updates. Make sure to also check out more Game Haus content with groundbreaking news around the professional and esports world.