Lakers Final Score: LA Rides Free Throw Edge To Upset Phoenix In 122-111 Win
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Last night, your Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a surprising victory against the visiting Phoenix Suns, 122-111, to pull back to within one game of a .500 record, 36-37.
Three Lakers starters scored 25+ points, and the team turned the evening into something of a procession to the charity stripe.
In his new role as the team's starting shooting guard, Austin Reaves kicked off the contest's first quarter with a bang, scoring while shooting 4-of-6 from the floor (1-of-1 from deep) and 1-of-1 from the charity stripe. The highlight may have been this nifty action off an Anthony Davis screen:
Reaves and Davis numbered among two of the team's three 25+ point scorers.
LA small forward Troy Brown Jr., who to my surprise continued to start while Malik Beasley was demoted to the Laker bench in favor of Austin Reaves (I figured Darvin Ham would slot Reaves in at small forward), showed off his two-way ability during one exquisite stretch late in the second quarter, when he nailed a triple, stole the rock from Devin Booker, and pulled up for a dunk, leading the Lakers from a 46-46 tie to a 51-46 edge singlehandedly.
All three levels of starting point guard D'Angelo Russell's scoring abilities were on full display. He sliced and diced his way inside for seemingly effortless buckets with artful aptitude:
At the break, the Lakers led the Suns by a less-than-comfortable margin, 59-52, thanks in large part to a huge free throw advantage. LA made 20-of-27 foul shots while Phoenix went just 7-of-10.
Both clubs more or less held serve in the game's third quarter, though Phoenix outscored Los Angeles marginally, 33-29, in the frame.
In the fourth quarter, with Devin Booker catching a brief breather on the Phoenix bench after the Suns had more or less drawn even with the Lakers, LA quickly went on a 7-0 tear to increase their lead from one point to a 106-98 advantage.
The Lakers gradually built out their lead a bit. Jarred Vanderbilt's paint play put the finishing touches on the evening, with some help from Austin Reaves, who himself was en route to a career-best 11 assists.
The Suns crept their way back to within ten points in the game's closing minutes, but this Reaves-Vanderbilt two-man play effectively wrapped up the evening:
Davis led the way for Los Angeles in its winning effort, scoring 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor and 7-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe. He also pulled down nine boards, dished out five dimes, and swiped a steal.
Russell scored 26 on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor (3-of-6 from deep) and 5-of-7 shooting from the foul line. He also dished out six assists, grabbed a board, blocked two shots and chipped in one steal.
Reaves was the Lakers' third player to score 25 or more points. He notched his 25 points while shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 12-of-13 from the free throw line.
Two other Lakers scored in double digits during the effort. Vanderbilt had 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor, while reserve point guard Dennis Schröder chipped in 13 on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Beyond that triumvirate of scorers, the Lakers' main advantage was the free throws. LA shot 36-of-46 from the charity stripe, while the Suns went 15-of-20.
The Lakers continued to shoot a comparatively modest amount of triples, just 17 on the night, though they made a solid amount of those tries (eight). They also made a majority of their field goals, shooting 39-of-70 from the floor. The Suns shot more triples, going 12-of-31 from the three-point line, and way more field goals, going 42-of-90 from the floor.
Los Angeles improved to a 36-37 record and the West's 10th seed with the victory, while knocking the Suns down a peg to 38-34. Thanks to an ever-active conference, the Lakers are now the ninth seed after the Thunder's 127-105 loss to the Clippers tonight.
LA will have its next shot at a .500 record this season when it suits up against one of four Western Conference teams with an identical record, the 36-37 Oklahoma City Thunder, tomorrow at home.
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