In a game touched by history for Chris Paul, the Phoenix Suns beat the decimated Los Angeles Lakers 111-94, who played their first game after the injury suffered by their top star LeBron James. Paul, for his part, entered NBA history by registering 10,000 assists.
Unsurprisingly, without LeBron James or Anthony Davis, the Lakers were quite erratic on the court. In return, the Suns took advantage and scored a quick opening 10-2 that forced Frank Vogel to call a timeout. After the minute of rest the Angelenos seemed to react led by Dennis Schroder and Talen Horton-Tucker, but the offensive arsenal of the Arizonans did not let them get too close on the scoreboard. At the end of the first quarter, Phoenix was leading 31-26.
In the second quarter the process was more even from the beginning. The Lakers’ second unit, with the appearances of unusual names like Alfonzo McKinnie or Davontae Cacok, knew how to keep up with the Suns and narrowed differences. But once the best available players from both teams were back on the court, the Arizona team prevailed by reaching an advantage of up to 18 points. At the end of the second period, the score was 59-44 in favor of the locals.
Already in the second half, the Suns did not lower the intensity and maintained the double-digit advantage. In this leg of the game, there was a moment in NBA history, when Chris Paul had the 10,000th assist of his career, becoming the sixth player to do so.
Despite the slight improvement shown by the Lakers, thanks to the productions of Montrezl Harrell, Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker, the difference in the scoreboard did not undergo significant changes; and those led by Monty Williams closed the third quarter with an 88-76 advantage.
The last quarter began with the Angelenos very active on both sides of the court. Always led by the direction of Caruso and Schroder, and the completion of Harrell and Horton-Tucker, they managed to reduce the lead to just single digits. But Phoenix was able to react in time, and with three steals by Chris Paul, they were able to regain control of the game, which gave them greater peace of mind in the final minutes, to close the night with a new victory.
The home team enjoyed the scoring ability of their two promising youngsters. Devin Booker had 26 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists; while Deandre Ayton finished the game with 26 points and 8 rebounds. Chris Paul for his part, in addition to his historic achievement, reaped 11 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, and 3 steals that were transcendental to stop the Lakers’ comeback possibility at the end.
In the Los Angeles team, the following stood out: Montrezl Harrell with 23 points and 10 rebounds; Denis Schroder with 22 points and 3 assists; Talen Horton-Tucker with 17 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists; and Kyle Kuzma with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
With this victory, the Suns remain the only guards for the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference, two games away. While the Lakers are now in third position, a game below their rival today.
The Lakers will play again next Tuesday, when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans; and the Suns, for their part, will have to wait until Wednesday, the day they will have to face the Orlando Magic in Florida.
(Cover photo by Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
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