Suns beat Lakers; his 1st playoff win in 11 years

PHOENIX (AP) – All-Star point guard Chris Paul was wincing early in the fourth quarter, playing virtually with one shoulder. Cameron Payne had just been expelled. Several players had to be separated and tempers were heated.

Phoenix coach Monty Williams had warned his young Suns that they would face moments like this in the NBA playoffs, especially against the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers.

It can be said that they passed the first test.

Devin Booker scored 34 points, Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 16 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns won their first postseason game in 11 years by beating the Lakers 99-90 on Sunday. For Booker, the postseason run he had waited for so long lived up to expectations.

“The intensity is different, the physical fight is different,” Booker noted. “And it’s hardly a game.”

It was the first postseason game for several Suns players, including Booker, Ayton and Mikal Bridges, but they did not appear to be rookies against LeBron James and the Lakers. They helped counteract a poor afternoon for Paul, who did not look well after sustaining a right shoulder injury in the second quarter.

The Suns had an 86-70 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers quickly cut the gap to 86-77 with 9:02 left.

At that point things got a bit shaky. Alex Caruso of the Lakers and Cameron Payne of the Suns got into an altercation near the band after Payne dropped Caruso. Los Angeles’ Montrezl Harrell entered the fray and both teams had to be separated. Caruso and Harrell each received one technical foul, while Payne was sent off with two technical fouls.

“It’s something we’ve been talking about as a team and as a staff,” Williams said. “There is going to be a moment in the game when you have to control your emotions.”

And the Suns did just that. Booker kept shooting and Ayton dominated the boards, finishing with eight offensive rebounds and hitting 10 of 11 shots from the field, preventing the Lakers from getting close in the final minutes.

James finished with 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Anthony Davis made just five of 16 shots from the field for 13 points. The Lakers scored seven of 26 (27%) 3-point attempts.

“I missed a huge number of shots. As a team we missed a lot of shots, ”Davis lamented. “There is no way we can win a game, least of all a series, with the way I played. This was my fault. “

The second game of the series will be Tuesday in Phoenix.

The Lakers needed to beat Golden State in a mini-tournament on Wednesday just to clinch seventh in the Western Conference in the postseason. Still, they came into the game with a slight betting advantage over Phoenix, second in the seed, according to FanDuel.

AP

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