Los Angeles Lakers held on for a hard-fought 109-102 win over the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of the first-round playoff series on Tuesday night. However, Los Angeles Lakers were really struggling in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night.
The Phoenix Suns had made a big run, and their home crowd was not happy either, and the defending NBA champions were about to go down two games to none in the first round. But LeBron James and Anthony Davis were not going to let that happen to their team. LeBron James made a turnaround 18-foot jumper, whereas Davis followed with a 3-pointer which makes Los Angeles Lakers hold on for a hard-fought 109-102 win over the Suns in Game 2 of the playoff series.
We had to win this, Davis said after the game. We all came out with that mindset, and we were able to get the job done. He said this was considered a significant return in the game for the Los Angeles Lakers and especially for Davis, who struggled in Game 1 and took personal responsibility for the team’s 99-90 loss on Sunday. His pivotal 3-pointer put Los Angeles up 98-92 and ended a late Suns rally.
Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel said We have a method where those guys carry a big load, especially at crunch time. These are two of the top five players in the NBA, Frank Vogel claimed. James said he was not surprised by the fact that Davis bounced back quickly. He said the Lakers made it to the point where he could get involved as much as possible. I came here for James to play a playoff game in front of the Lakers faithful as he most definitely was referring to the crowd he will have cheering for him as Game 3 is scheduled to be played on Thursday in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Lakers suddenly have a lot of momentum. The Lakers had a 63-48 lead after a 10-1 run to open the third quarter. James splashed home a 3-pointer to start the scoring, and Los Angeles looked like comfortably putting it away. However, the Suns slowly managed their way back in. Cam Johnson made two 3-pointers late in the third quarter, including one at the buzzer, to pull Phoenix within 79-72, heading to the fourth. Jae Crowder made a 3-pointer from the corner and fouled the free throw for a four-point play that pulled the Suns within 84-83 with only a little time left in the fourth. Deandre Ayton’s dunk off an offensive rebound with six minutes left put the Suns up 88-86, which was their first lead since the opening. But they couldn’t hold on to it and were struggling to guard James and Davis in the final minutes of the game. We’ve got to do a better job of holding leads, but we have shown that we will keep fighting, “ Davis said.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 31 points and made all 17 of his free throws. Ayton had 22 points, 10 rebounds, and shot 11 of 13 from the field. With players like Andre Drummond, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and Marc Gasol all standing 6 Feet 9 Inches or taller and tipping the scales at 250 pounds or more Los Angeles is physically much bigger and stronger than Phoenix. The only player on the Suns’ roster close to the size is Ayton. Los Angeles Lakers more often than not like to take advantage of
that difference.
Suns coach Monty Williams talking to the media after the game said LeBron and Anthony Davis made big plays but we had our chances but we couldn’t manage to capitalize on them. The Lakers jumped out to a 30-24 lead after the first quarter, scoring 12 points off of seven
Suns turnovers. Los Angeles took a 53-47 advantage into halftime. There had been an announcement over the sellout crowd at Phoenix Suns Arena which had reached the number 11919 and that was because of COVID-19 restrictions. That’s about
two-thirds of its complete capacity.
Paul’s Injured Shoulder
Chris Paul finished with six points and five assists in 23 minutes. He had a bit of a struggle dealing with an injured shoulder injury that occurred during the game on Sunday. The 11-time All-Star didn’t play in the final minutes when the Suns were trying to make a push for the win. Paul had his moments but couldn’t come up with his very best.
Just For The Kicks
Suns had to come up with a new strategy after Crowder was called for two early fouls. The second one was quite painful for the Phoenix forward. Crowder was whistled for a foul on a Davis jump shot but then he took a shot to the groin when Davis kicked his leg out on the follow-through. Davis was called for a Flagrant 1 foul. Crowder remained in the game to shoot the free throws but was afterward replaced by Dario Saric.
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