Los Angeles Lakers’ Winning Streak Ends
In an unexpected turn of events, the Los Angeles Lakers saw their impressive seven-game winning streak come to an end with a 125-108 defeat against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. Point guard Luka Doncic shouldered the blame for the loss, pointing directly to his personal struggles with turnovers.
“That was my fault,” Doncic admitted, reflecting on his performance that included a staggering nine turnovers. “There’s no way I can have nine turnovers in a game.”
Game Highlights
The first quarter started promising for the Lakers, with Doncic delivering an explosive 20-point performance, marking the third time in four games that he hit the 20-point mark within the opening quarter. The two teams ended the first quarter tied at 31. However, the tides turned dramatically in the second quarter. Doncic encountered difficulties, notching four turnovers, joined by teammate Austin Reaves, who contributed to the turnover tally with four of his own out of five total. As a result, the Suns leveraged this misstep to outpace the Lakers 35-21 in that quarter, gaining a formidable lead.
“It was definitely a different defensive strategy than what other teams create,” Doncic remarked about the Suns’ approach. “They seemed to encourage me to score rather than facilitating for others, which was somewhat confusing.”
This game featured a notable career-high in turnovers for Doncic, who saw each of his turnovers lead to a steal for the Suns, accounting for the season’s highest number of live-ball turnovers by any player, as reported by ESPN Research.
Coaching Insights
Lakers’ head coach JJ Redick acknowledged the pivotal role of Suns center Mark Williams in disrupting Los Angeles’ offensive flow. Interestingly, Williams was the player the Lakers had traded for last February before aborting that deal with the Charlotte Hornets.
“They didn’t employ any sort of blitz or trap,” Redick noted. “Mark Williams was simply effective with his size. He has the second-highest standing reach in the league, which put our post-ups and picks under pressure.”
Additionally, he praised the Suns’ guards for being aggressive, limiting the Lakers’ options and creating a congestion that led to numerous turnovers.
Player Performances
In the final statistics, Doncic ended with a strong showing of 38 points, accompanied by 11 rebounds and five assists. Reaves contributed 16 points while LeBron James managed 10 points, three assists, and three turnovers. Despite seeking to extend his remarkable streak of consecutive games scoring in double figures to 1,297 with a three-pointer late in the game, he noted,
“Turnovers, transition points. On our home floor against a defense that was as disruptive as theirs, we can’t afford to give the ball away that often. They capitalized on those turnovers effectively.”
The Suns were led by Dillon Brooks, who notched 33 points, along with Collin Gillespie, who scored 28 points, and both players propelled the Suns to a hefty 28-2 advantage in fast-break points.
Looking Ahead
As the season approaches its first quarter mark, the Lakers, now sporting a 15-5 record, are faced with a challenging schedule ahead. Their next four opponents all hold winning records, including a grueling East Coast road trip featuring three games in four nights against Toronto, Boston, and Philadelphia.
“We’ve got to address everything,” Redick stated when discussing what the team needs to focus on moving forward, emphasizing the need for improved rotations and strategies to return to winning form.
