The Lakers Win Streak Ends as the Phoenix Suns Outshine Them at Home

Whether it was last season being stunned by the Phoenix Suns or this season, the Lakers have recently had trouble with the Suns. They cannot seem to outmatch them in the regular season at times. This time they were handed a 17 point lesson as they lost, ending their seven game win streak. If that was not bad enough, the Suns did it mostly without their star Devin Booker who left the game early due to injury. Needing offense, they turned to a familiar name.

Calling the Next Man up in Phoenix

Dillon Brooks was the hero, scoring 33 points. He caught fire, making ten shots in a row at one point and effectively filling the scoring gap left by Booker. Collin Gillespie also stepped up substantially and helped stabilize the backcourt rotation. The Suns won this game with hustle and speed, completely overwhelming the Lakers in transition. Their defense was suffocating and forced the Lakers into 16 turnovers.

The most telling stat of the night was fast break points. Phoenix outscored Los Angeles by 26 in transition. The Lakers looked disorganized and slow to get back, while Phoenix capitalized on their mistakes. The win was impressive, although the concern now is for Booker. He left with a groin injury in the first quarter and did not return. He was later seen on the bench in street clothes, which is a somewhat positive sign that he did not need immediate treatment, although his availability for upcoming games is now their biggest concern.

Lakers’ Offensive Struggles and Win Streak Snapped

The Lakers’ defeat can be summed up in one statistic, which is turnovers. The Lakers finished with an embarrassing 22 turnovers, many of which resulted from lazy passes or mishandled possessions. These errors halted every attempt to build momentum. Despite scoring 38 points, Luka Dončić also recorded a career worst nine turnovers. He accepted responsibility afterward, saying, “That was my fault. No way I can have nine turnovers in the game.”

Key players did not step up. LeBron James appeared disengaged offensively, scoring only ten points and barely maintaining his historic double digit streak. Rui Hachimura had a tough night and went scoreless in 23 minutes. The Suns' defense focused on pressuring and speeding up the Lakers, capitalizing on their mistakes and creating a major advantage in transition scoring, which made the game increasingly difficult for Los Angeles. Next up for the Lakers is a showdown in Toronto against the Raptors.