The 2024 Emirates Cup continued today with another slate of competitive games. Tonight, the Lakers had their hands full dealing with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and the Phoenix Suns, and in the end, it was just too much for them to handle.
The first half was a pretty tight affair, with the Suns taking a narrow two-point lead into halftime. Things began to heat up in the third quarter when the Suns gained a bit of separation after getting hot from the field. After taking a double-digit lead in the final 24 minutes, the Suns never looked back and cruised to a 127-100 victory. It’s the Lakers’ first loss in the NBA Cup, breaking an undefeated streak.
Devin Booker was the main attraction for the Phoenix Suns with 26 points, 10 assists, and 2 rebounds on 10-17 shooting. Kevin Durant poured in 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists on 9-17 shooting while Bradley Beal dropped 23 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 27:23 minutes off the bench. Grayson Allen contributed 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists on 2-6 shooting from three.
Anthony Davis was the leading scorer for the Lakers with 25 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks on 52.6% shooting. LeBron James finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists (7-16 FG). Meanwhile, Austin Reaves scored 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists (6-12 FG), while D’Angelo Russell tallied 16 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds on 38.5% shooting.
For two West teams with title aspirations this season, there’s no doubt the Lakers and Suns were looking forward to this matchup to see how they stack up against another contender, but we learned today just how far apart the two teams are. For the same reasons the Lakers couldn’t stop the Suns tonight is why they will struggle to keep up with the best in the West.
Third Quarter Collapse
This game, just like the last one, was defined by the third quarter. Against the Nuggets on Saturday, Los Angeles was outscored 37-15 in the third quarter and tonight they were outscored 36-18 in the same time frame.
Over those 12 minutes alone, the Lakers let their deficit go from 4 points to 20 points, and they never climbed their way back. For the rest of the game, the Lakers looked lethargic, disconnected, and downright miserable even having to be there.
It remains to be seen how coach Redick will address this bizarre trend, but whatever he’s saying at halftime is just not clicking. In mid-November, it’s not yet too late to change his approach and he’ll have to try something else to help the Lakers not lose their focus in the second half.
No Help Off The Bench
During the Lakers’ championship run in 2020, they surrounded LeBron James and Anthony Davis with a solid cast of supporting players at every position. Currently, while they have some talented teammates, James and Davis don’t have the kind of consistent support that every star pairing needs to succeed.
Against the Suns, this point was evident both on the court and in the stat sheet. D’Angelo Russell was the only guy off the bench to crack 10 points but at just 5-13 shooting from the field, he was clearly off his game. Just about everyone besides LeBron James and Anthony Davis had a bad game for the Lakers and it’s difficult for them to win like that.
At this stage of their partnership, LeBron and Davis can no longer carry a team like they used to. Success for the Lakers will have to involve a group effort, and that’s not great, given the track record of inconsistency with their role players.
Perimeter Defense Gives Open Looks
Perhaps the most glaring issue for the Lakers right now is on the perimeter. Time and time again, they gave up open threes to the Suns, and it’s why they shot 51.1% as a team and 40.5% from three.
On most possessions, the Suns would penetrate past the Lakers’ perimeter defense and attack the rim, which would collapse the defense and create an open look. The Lakers fell for this trap again and again throughout the game, and they had no one to throw out there who could stay in front of the Suns’ quicker isolation scorers.
By starting Cam Reddish and Rui Hacmimura tonight, Lakers coach JJ Redick hoped that the mixture of size and versatility would help them slow down the Suns. The results were the complete opposite, however, and the Lakers found themselves hopelessly outmatched.
To say the mood is somber in Los Angeles right now would be an understatement. Many fans today believe they’ve seen enough to call the Lakers’ start a fluke while others are bracing for a hard reality check in the not-too-distant future.
Of course, there’s still plenty of time for the Lakers to work out their issues but things don’t appear to be trending in the right direction right now. At 10-7 this season, the Lakers are slowly undoing the success that they enjoyed for the first few weeks of the season.
The Lakers don’t have much time to ponder this defeat before getting back to business. As early as tomorrow, November 27th, the Lakers have a game against the San Antonio Spurs (in Frost Bank Center) for one of their biggest tests yet. They finally head back home on Friday, for a matchup against the Thunder at 10:00 PM EST at Crypto.com arena.
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