Lakers lose to Suns, eliminated from playoff contention
Los Angeles small forward Lebron James (right) in his street clothes talking to The Phoenix Sun point guard Chris Paul (3) (left) during the Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Phoenix
Following the loss to the Phoenix Suns 121-110 without Lebron James, the Los Angeles Lakers are officially eliminated from playoff contention.
The issues with trying to slow down the Suns shooting guard Devin Booker, who scored 32 points, and the Lakers’ overall late-game defense in the fourth quarter led to the team’s downfall.
Los Angeles only had one lead versus the Suns in the first half by two points (31-28) where the players kept the game close in the first half.
Once the Suns build an 84-67 lead in the third quarter, the players keep producing more points with how they move the ball, attack the basket, and get after the boards.
Along with Booker’s 32 points, Chris Paul produced double-digits (12) in assists and Deandre Ayton’s double-double in points (22) as well as rebounds (13).
For the Lakers, there were five players in double digits without James but weren’t able to produce anything offensively and defensively. Anthony Davis with his double-double (21 points and 13 rebounds), Russell Westbrook with 28 points, and Austin Reaves with 18 points off the bench are the most positive aspects for the Lakers despite the loss.
Now with the Lakers losing to the Suns, who set a new franchise-breaking record with 63 wins, they are going to look back at the season as a disappointment with high hopes of possibly contending for an NBA championship this season.
The Lakers have a record of now 31-48 and are fourth in their division. Their record was a result of inconsistent performance by several players on the Lakers’ roster, injuries to their star players (mostly Davis), and bad coaching by head coach Frank Vogel.
Furthermore, the Lakers would give up large leads due to countless turnovers, bad shot selections, and underwhelming bench lineups.
NBA analysis on ESPN and FS1 sound off about the Lakers this season.
Overall, the Lakers have a lot of matters to discuss regarding how the roster and coaching staff is going to look for the next season.
There are reports of Vogel expecting to be fired by the end of the season and the Hornets are a “team to watch” if the Lakers are considering trading Westbrook.
Furthermore, Lebron’s two-year contract from the 2020 season is going to be up next season with him considering departing to play with his son or Stephen Curry.
The Lakers have a lot of moves to make this offseason with their season over and try to be a championship contender again from two years ago as the NBA season continues.
