The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a demoralizing loss in front of the Phoenix Suns, succumbing to Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and co. 115-85.
The Suns lead the series 3-2, looking like the favorites to advance to the second round of the playoffs after Tuesday night clinic. Even though they missed Anthony Davis, Lakers fans believed they could do a lot more in front of the Western 2nd seed.
Shaquille O’Neal had big words for the purple and gold and their performance. The TNT analyst called them out, saying they played like a soft, heartless team.
“As a former Laker, they played soft, they played with no heart, played with no pride, played with no sense of urgency. LeBron James, Mr. Big Show, he didn’t play great.”
Shaq reacts to the Lakers' 30-point loss to Phoenix in Game 5. pic.twitter.com/zkXlh7IcPy
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) June 2, 2021
Even without AD, the Lakers are better than a team that losses by 30 points and score only 10 in one quarter.
Dennis Schroder, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell all failed to step up for their team. They need to fix this if they want to have a real chance to beat the inspired Suns. While Phoenix is looking better, the Lakers are going downhill.
Game 6 is scheduled for Thursday at Staples Center. The 17-time NBA champions hope that playing at home boosts their chances to win.
