Summary: Suns break out Lakers at Staples despite ousting Devin Booker, 114-104

There was one decisive word to describe the atmosphere of this game: energy.

Energy, energy, energy – and both teams were diligent in ensuring that a lost predicament did not come about due to lack of effort.

Diving for loose balls, loud fouls and ornate conversations were always important, and each unit put together a performance that would be an early play-off match of the Western Conference.

And they could very well face a national season series in the coming months.

The stars were brought in line, although some (especially Anthony Davis) were sidelined, the tension was high and the skills were at first when two titans played in one of the most important matches of this season for both.

Lost, and the Lakers will hand over their second conference rankings.

And nothing can be sweeter for Phoenix than achieving a victory against the champion.

Suns wen, 114-104

1st term

The breadth of each team’s strong volume-counting ability was quickly swung with the tip-off.

Jae Crowder splashed a three-ball home to make an open score for the matter, and Mikal Bridges added a try of his own to rise 6-0 early.

However, the Lakeshow stormed back when Markieff Morris threw down a retreating crow, and Lebron began unraveling his laundry list with deadly offensive moves to record his share in the column.

Chippy play and chirping mouths began to ensue shortly thereafter – a sentiment that confirmed the importance of both units on this match in the All-Star break.

Monty Williams showed a strong desire to dominate low, and the opportunities for Deandre Ayton skyrocketed with Marc Gasol. Ayton ate heartily when Chris Paul gave him a low pass, and his early dominance became a strikingly weak point for Frank Vogel and his defense.

Phoenix took a 24-15 lead after Cam Johnson injected a deep ball and held on to a decent cushion as they entered the break 29-21.

2nd term

Lebron James was clearly unhappy with the rocky start of his team and decided to take the bucket business in his own hat.

The king unleashed a tidal wave of attacking forces and cutting walls as he exercised his rule on the inside of the block and re-engaged his group in battle.

Languages ​​Horton-Tucker joined Lebron in his scoring ladder and took advantage of some isolation opportunities to keep the Lakers in it.

They also showed a feverish defensive intensity, and a few timely interceptions led to easy transition openings that enabled Lebron to flicker the timeless resilience of his 36-year-old legs. Their strength at the end sparked a 16-5 run that gave them a 37-36 lead.

CP3 displayed his passing spell over numerous half-court possessions while trying to retain the Suns’ early push, and his calm skill enabled them to regain a convincing margin as the quarter slowed.

Phoenix dished out 12 assists on 13 baskets in an epic display of efficiency, kicking their own 8-2 run, aided by Dario Saric and Cam Johnson who gave them an almost 10-point lead.

A buzzer from the Mikal Bridges beat 3 led Pheonix 60-53 at halftime. They start the half with an open angle 3 and finish it chameleon-like.

“Done as they started,” in the words of commentator Jim Jackson.

Devin Booker had 15 points at halftime, while Bridges finished the first half with 11. Phoenix shot 10/17 from outside the arc.

Lebron scored 15 through the first two.

3rd term

The Suns returned to Ayton’s arsenal with the onset of the second half.

And when he did not receive one-on-one ball opportunities, he was the obscure receiver of high alley throws from Devin Booker.

Phoenix offensively continued to burn, as the book Book-Ayton began their production.

Book raised the Suns nine after turning a three-point play into a clever lay-up maneuver, which was wrapped in four points after James was beaten with a technology.

However, their momentum quickly fell out of their grasp when a technical on Booker resulted in his expulsion from the game. He got the offense after an unfriendly response to a call in which he added a little extra mustard to a pass to the referee.

The throw was costly for Phoenix, who quickly surrendered their margin when LA shot down on its own 7-0 run.

But Chris Paul is combat testing – and it was here that he showed how valuable his veteran presence is to this unit.

He was CCC – cool, calm and collected in the heat of the moment, and kept the Lakers at a distance as he scored a few points to bolster his team’s lead. Their game pace has accelerated, but Paul is an efficiency architect, and his work to create points for points is unmatched.

Phoenix entered fourth with a slim 86-83 lead.

Ayton posted 17 to three.

4th term

Phoenix is ​​a unit that refuses to be excessive. Their best scorer was gone. They received for their testimony litanies of transgressions. And yet they will not be denied.

The Lakers may have more talent at their disposal during the fourth time, but the Suns dropped a bunch of big time habits that eventually closed the door for LA’s furious comeback effort.

Chris Paul knocked down a 28-footer to take a 93-85 lead, before Abdel Nader and Mikal Bridges swung successive jumpers.

Lebron and the company lit their fire and cut the Suns’ lead to just five before Bridges completed an amazing feat of court awareness and dexterity of the foot: rescuing an idiosyncratic balloon in Jae Crowder’s direction, which waited under the edge for an easy deuce.

Several contributions from Saric kept the Suns’ lead near double figures, and while Lebron sprayed some three-balls with a few balls home, his efforts were rendered useless by Phoenix’s stifling defense.

Mikal Bridges’ thunderstorm was a serious death knell for any innings in Laker life, and Phoenix was able to escape from Stales Center with a 114-104 victory.

Lebron would end up in the loss with 38 points at 16-24 off the floor.

The Suns, meanwhile, move up to second place in the West.

Player of the game

Mikal Bridges: 19 PTS, 6-10 FG, 3-6 3PT, 6 REB, 5 AST