The Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 107-96 win over the Phoenix Suns at home on Sunday, breaking a four-game losing streak with the help of another dominant Luka Dončić performance.
With the victory, L.A. picked up its first win since LeBron James was sidelined with a groin strain, having lost three straight without James on the court. James is expected to miss at least another week with the injury.
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Los Angeles led for most of the game, picking up a lead in the first quarter and never really looking back. Although the Suns got a bit of momentum in the second quarter to close the gap, the Lakers pulled away again, finishing the half with a 17-point lead.
Phoenix did its best to fight back, getting within single-digits behind a second-half surge from Kevin Durant. In the final minutes, Phoenix got within eight points, but couldn’t quite dig in for the win as L.A. pulled away again.
Dončić led both teams with 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, with Austin Reaves chipping in a solid 28-point performance to lead the Lakers to the win.
With a 31-37 record, the Suns are currently on the outside looking in for a postseason berth, with only 14 games left in the season. That pressure might be starting to weigh on the team: During a first quarter huddle, Durant was spotted having a seemingly heated exchange with head coach Mike Budenholzer.
It’s unclear exactly what Durant and Budenholzer were talking about, but tension has been high between the two for the past few weeks. The Suns have lost five of their last eight games since the start of March; on Sunday, shooting was a particular problem for Phoenix, especially beyond the arc: Phoenix went 9 of 41 on 3-point shooting.
As for the Lakers, adjusting to playing without James has been difficult, especially with the team’s other starters dealing with injuries. Rui Hachimura has missed several games with a knee injury; Dončić and Jaxson Hayes both missed the Lakers’ loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
Early in the fourth quarter, Dončić was spotted on the sideline with an ice pack on his right ankle after an awkward collision earlier in the game. But he returned to the court soon afterward, indicating the injury wasn’t too severe.
L.A. is now 41-25, tied with four other Western Conference teams in the loss column. The Lakers have played two games less than those clubs though, meaning the team has a few extra chances to pull themselves into better playoff position before the season ends.
