The Los Angeles Lakers looked, for a moment, like they were going to cruise to victory against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. The combination of energy from Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes helped the Lakers go on a 24-0 run between the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth.
Marcus Smart played a role in carrying the momentum forward and the Lakers led 99-79 with under eight minutes to go in the game. The Lakers had a chance to extend the lead even further when Smart received a perfect outlet pass on a fastbreak from LeBron James.
He was one-on-none with the rim in front of him and a chance to go up 101-79. Instead, Smart threw an errant behind-the-head pass directly into the hands of Grayson Allen. The Suns would hit a 3-pointer on their next possession and begin a rapid comeback effort. Phoenix went on a 35-14 run from that moment on and took a 114-113 lead.
Then, in the final minute, Smart attempted a layup that got blocked early in the shot clock instead of running more time and getting fouled.
Clutch free throws from James ended the game with the Lakers on top, but it was very close to being a disastrous loss from the Lakers. And Smart recognized that his mistake was the start of the collapse, via Dan Woike of The Athletic:
“It was craziness,” Smart said. “I think, one play didn’t define that game in our 20-point let up. But it started with me, I did some dumb stuff and I’m just glad we came out with the win and it didn’t cost us.”
Smart’s mistakes aren’t the sole reason for the Suns comeback effort in the fourth quarter on Sunday. However, that five-point swing was a massive momentum shifter for Devin Booker and company. They had been reeling on the offensive end and were being punished on the glass by Vanderbilt, Hayes, Deandre Ayton and the Lakers.
In the modern NBA, truly no lead is safe. And the Lakers cannot afford to play with any level of comfortability given how quickly leads can evaporate.
Smart now saw this first-hand, and hopefully the Lakers follow suit in playing a more careful brand of basketball when leading late.
Lakers coach happy for Jarred Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt fell out of Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s rotation largely due to his offensive limitations.
However, the Lakers’ porous defense as of late prompted Redick to play Vanderbilt against the Suns. The Suns dominated the Lakers in their last matchup because of their energy and sheer will, so Vanderbilt was brought in to help match that.
He delivered with his best performance of the season, recording seven points, seven rebounds, two steals and one block in the win.
After the game, Redick expressed his appreciations for Vanderbilt’s contributions.
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