Depleted Lakers blitzed by Suns for biggest loss of season
PHOENIX — The Lakers’ most hopeful moment of the second half came with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, as Dennis Schröder swished a 3-pointer, forcing a Suns timeout.
The Lakers were closing the gap … all the way down to 14 points.
A non-competitive loss was easy to see coming for the Lakers (13-17), who were without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Austin Reaves on the road on Monday night against a team they’ve struggled with in recent years. But even with a low bar, it was hard to say the short-handed group met expectations in a 130-104 loss to Phoenix (19-12), the team’s biggest margin of defeat all season.
Schröder led a locker room that was somber after the game, but also not in the mood for self-pity for the 12th-place Lakers, no matter who is in uniform. A potential long-term injury to Davis is just more minutes for someone else, he said.
“Everybody gotta just do their job, and whenever A.D. is back, then he gonna do his job,” he said. “So end of the day, nothing changes for me personally. I work if he’s in or out, and I think everybody just should look in the mirror and do their job.”
In the absence of their stars, Schröder helmed the offense, shooting 12 for 19 for a team-best 30 points. Lonnie Walker IV and Thomas Bryant each had 16 points, while Kendrick Nunn scored 17 off the bench.
They were thrashed by the starting lineup of the Suns, who made their first seven shots of the game and were shooting 14 for 21 by the end of the first quarter with a 14-point lead. The Lakers were never within single digits of their hosts after the first seven minutes of the game. Notably, Phoenix was 20 for 39 from 3-point range, taking full advantage of a disorganized Lakers defense.
Chris Paul led with an easy 28 points and eight assists in 32 minutes, while five other Suns scored in double figures. Deandre Ayton returned to the lineup with 21 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes.
The biggest indignity Paul suffered was when Patrick Beverley scored a bucket on him and hammed up the celebration with a “too small” gesture in the third quarter. Fortunately for Paul and the Suns, they were ahead by 23 points at the time.
Coach Darvin Ham defended the gesture by his veteran guard – or at least said he could allow it.
“Obviously there’s sportsmanship issues and you have to be respectful of your opponent,” Ham said. “I get that. And I think for the most part, we are. But I don’t want to see the league get to a place where players can’t have natural enthusiasm.”
It was the least competitive the Lakers have been this season, even dating to their 2-10 start. Their previous worst margin of defeat was in November on the road in Utah – a 23-point setback.
But given all the pieces missing, the Lakers were OK with grading themselves on a curve. Ham said he thought the healthy players “competed to the best of their ability.” Beverley noted that the competitive spirit, in spite of the comfortable margin, didn’t go completely out.
“We didn’t give in,” he said. “Obviously, it was a lopsided game. But we kept fighting to the end and that’s the most important thing to me.”
The Lakers return to action Wednesday in Sacramento, hoping for a more complete lineup.