Luka Doncic sat at the table at the postgame press conference and turned the score over in disgust.
The Lakers superstar didn't want to see anything there.
Lakers seven-game winning streak stopped abruptly with defeat 125-108 with the Phoenix Suns on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
While Doncic continued to score, finishing with 38 points and 11 rebounds, the loss exposed Lakers'biggest problems. Doncic turned the ball over nine times as the Lakers (15-5) committed 22 turnovers, leading to 32 points for the Suns (13-9). Their average defense had no answer to Phoenix's blistering offense, which shot 57 percent from the field. LeBron Jameswho did not play Sunday to deal with a left leg injury early in the home game against the Lakers, was sidelined most of the evening.
The NBA's all-time leading scorer didn't impact the game until the fourth quarter as the possibility of his 18-year streak of games with 10 or more points looked in jeopardy. Entering the fourth quarter with just six points, James hit a step-back jumper with 6:51 left, giving him 10 points for his 1,297th straight game.
It was the only big moment in the second half that the Lakers had allowed to get away with for a long time.
“It's like the Monstars capturing the people you learned to train.” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And they don't do anything they normally do. It's weird.”
Lakers star LeBron James switches to forward Dalton Knecht against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
A perplexed Redick suggested possible “brain fog” caused by three games in four days. The team, which Reddick estimates played hard enough to compete in 17 of 19 games, was overlooked in transition. The Lakers suddenly forgot about basic defensive tasks like passing screens against Phoenix's best 3-point shooters.
They were then torched by Collin Gillespie, who hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 28 points and eight threes. Dillon Brooks had 33 goals to lead the Suns, who had little trouble scoring despite losing star guard Devin Booker.
“The basketball gods reward you, but they also punish you,” Redick said. “And so in those moments when we had a chance to get rewarded, we didn’t do what we were supposed to do and we were punished.”
Lakers guard Austin Reaves hit Suns center Mark Williams during the Lakers' loss on Monday night.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Booker left the game with 2:05 left in the first quarter and did not return with a right groin injury. The Suns continued to dictate the pace and built a 14-point halftime lead to close the second quarter on a 19-4 run. Brooks scored 23 points in the first half.
Doncic scored 20 points in the first quarter for the second straight game, but unlike when he dominated the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, Doncic wasn't enough on Monday. Instead of equipping Doncic with extra defenders like most teams did, the Suns all but invited the star guard to score. Suns center Mark Williams' 9-foot-9 frame was enough to push Doncic into a corner.
Doncic, who took the blame for the offensive struggles and turnovers, called the coverage “confusing.”
“We didn't play hard enough,” the defender said. Austin Reeveswho scored 16 points and three assists with five losses. “You know it and you don't let it affect how you move forward. But you remember how it felt[ing is]what energy there was. And you are doing the opposite.”
The Suns, who lead the league in steals, forced 12 Lakers turnovers in the first half, leading to 17 Phoenix points. The Suns outscored the Lakers 16-0 in fast-break points.
Lakers guard Marcus Smart missed a third straight game, leaving the Lakers without a stalwart defender and vocal leader. He was previously sidelined with back spasms, but the Lakers interpreted Monday's absence as treatment for a back injury. Redick doesn't believe the absence will be long-term, as Smart underwent a physical that was “unremarkable,” Redick said, except that he looked “like a normal 11-year NBA veteran,” the coach added with a smile.
Dodgers World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto sits courtside during Monday's game between the Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers could use Smart's toughness ahead of a tough three-game East Coast trip that begins Thursday in Toronto. They will play three games in four days, including Boston on Friday and Philadelphia on Sunday. All three teams are above .500, and the Lakers are 4-4 against those teams.
“We had a little setback and a little hit on the chin,” said center Deandre Ayton, who had 12 points and nine rebounds, “but it doesn't knock us down.”
