Not only did the Los Angeles Lakers return home after a winless four-game road trip, but they also welcomed back multiple players who sat out on Friday night including Luka Doncic and Jaxson Hayes. And it was that duo along with Austin Reaves who led the Lakers to a 107-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon at Crypto.com Arena.
The victory ended the Lakers’ four-game losing streak and improved their overall record to 41-25.
Doncic nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 33 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals while Reaves added 28 points and six assists. It was a much-needed win for the Lakers as it helped to cement that the team’s recent struggles had more to do with injuries than anything else. The Lakers led basically the entire contest, mostly by double-digits, and any time Phoenix cut the lead down, the Lakers always had an answer.
Aside from Doncic, Hayes represented the biggest return for the Lakers and he immediately showed why as he was the recipient of great looks from Luka and Reaves all night. He finished with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds. The Lakers also welcomed back two of their most important 3-and-D players in Dorian Finney-Smith and Gabe Vincent, who combined for 19 points on 5-of-11 from 3-point range.
It was also a return to form for the Lakers defense as they hounded the Suns all night long. The Lakers held Phoenix to just 96 points on 39.3 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent from deep. The Suns’ superstar duo of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant each shot just 6-of-17 from the field and combined for 40 points while Bradley Beal managed just four points in 15 minutes before sitting out the second half due to injury.
JJ Redick once again employed a defensive strategy to force the Suns’ role players to try and beat them from deep and it worked to perfection. Ryan Dunn, Connor Gillespie, Royce O’Neale and Tyus Jones combined to make just six of their 28 3-point attempts while forcing 14 Phoenix turnovers to just eight of their own.
Next up for the Lakers
This was the first of five straight home games for the Lakers, who will host the San Antonio Spurs on their second of three straight back-to-backs on Monday. The Lakers will then have rematches with the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, before finishing off their homestand against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
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