PHOENIX — Luka Dončić’s 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists outclassed the Phoenix Suns, who showed little-to-no effort in a 107-96 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Kevin Durant was the only Sun who showed any fight, scoring 15 of his 21 total point in the third quarter, to go along with nine rebounds on 6-of-17 shooting. Devin Booker struggled all night shooting 6-of-17 from the field and 0-of-3 from deep for 19 points, but added 11 assists to his night.
Dončić and Austin Reaves combined for 61 points as Reaves added 28 points and six assists. Jaxson Hayes was the catalyst to Los Angeles’ first quarter start; he finished with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
Phoenix (31-37) is now one game back in the loss column to the Dallas Mavericks (33-36), who sit in the Suns’ way of the 10th seed and final spot in the West play-in. Phoenix returns to PHX Arena for a five-game homestand starting against the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
Durant jolts Suns back in 3rd quarter
Kevin Durant scored 15 of his 19 total points in the third quarter to bring the Suns back to as close as eight points in the period and cut the lead, 83-71.
Bradley Beal was listed out for the remainder of the game after halftime with left hamstring soreness. Collin Gillespie started in his place for the second half. Nick Richards scored seven points in the period to bring his night total up to 11. Devin Booker finished the third quarter with 13 points, eight assists and four fouls on 4-of-10 shooting.
Luka Dončić had 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in 31 minutes but also picked up four fouls and a technical in the third quarter. The Lakers committed nine personal fouls in the period, making way for Phoenix to shoot 13 free throws, making 10 of them.
Suns continue with no answer for Lakers in 2nd quarter
Phoenix started the second quarter on a 10-0 run but wasn’t able to materialize anything after as the Lakers still outscored them 23-22 in the period to take a 54-37 lead into halftime.
Devin Booker was the only person close to getting anything going in the quarter, scoring seven of his nine points. Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal shot a combined 7-of-23 for total points. Luka Dončić had 17 points by himself on 4-of-8 shooting in the first half. While eight Suns scored in the first half, only two of them scored more than four points — Booker (9) and Tyus Jones (5).
Along with Dončić’s 17, he added six assists and four rebounds. Many of his assists were lobs to Jaxson Hayes, who continued to dominate the paint with 13 points. Austin Reaves added 13 points of his own on 5-of-9 shooting. The Lakers shot 8-for-18 from beyond the arc compared to Phoenix’s 2-for-18.
Lakers defense stifles Suns in 1st quarter
Luka Dončić scored 13 points in the first quarter as the Lakers’ defense shut down Phoenix to go up by as much as 20 and build a commanding lead in the quarter, 31-15.
Los Angeles started the game up 7-0 and the Suns promptly responded with a 9-1 run to go up 9-8, only for the Lakers to respond with a 20-2 run over five minutes to go up 31-11. Kevin Durant led the team with just four points on 1-of-6 shooting. Ryan Dunn was the only Sun to score more than two points; his lone 3-pointer was the first points of the game for Phoenix.
Dončić added three assists and three 3-point makes to his 13-point total. Jaxson Hayes set the tone early being aggressive attacking the paint to score eight early points and get sent to the line three different times.
Injury Report
Nick Richards returned to the lineup after missing the last two games with a right ankle sprain. Grayson Allen (left foot strain) missed his third-straight game with a foot injury that has caused trouble all season. Monte Morris (low back injury management) was out as well.
The Lakers were without 21-time NBA All-Star LeBron James, who has been out for four games with a left groin strain. Rui Hachimura (left patellar tendinopathy), Trey Jemison III (illness) and Maxi Kleber (foot) were also out. Luka Dončić returned to the lineup after missing their last game.
Nov 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) against the Phoenix Suns during an NBA Cup game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Reporter Connor Moreno covers the Phoenix Suns for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @cmorenoNBA, and on Bluesky, @cloading.bsky.social
