The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns to earn their first win of 2020.
The Lakers got off to an efficient start as they hit their first eleven shots of the game while JaVale McGee picked up two early blocks. Meanwhile, Devin Booker was the only consistent source of offense for the Suns as he scored eight of their first 12 points.
Los Angeles continued to pour it on midway through the quarter with Anthony Davis and LeBron James showing off with dunks that electrified the Staples Center crowd. Even with the offense somewhat cooling off to end the period, the Lakers still went into the second quarter with a sizable 43-17 lead.
Los Angeles bench continued their solid stretch of play as both Kyle Kuzma and Dwight Howard kicked off the scoring while also causing some Phoenix turnovers to help them extend their lead. They went through another cold stretch of shooting as no one could seem to hit from the perimeter but still maintained their 30-point lead.
The Laker defense did an excellent job of making life difficult for the Suns as they had a hard time getting anything going near the paint with Howard and Davis patrolling it. Los Angeles took advantage of Phoenix’s porous defense and went into the locker room up 74-41.
Los Angeles came out to start the third a bit flat on both ends and allowed Phoenix to go on a small run to cut into the deficit, prompting a timeout from head coach Frank Vogel. Kelly Oubre Jr. came to life on the offensive end, hitting a couple of jumpers and posterizing McGee on a drive to the rim.
The two teams began to trade baskets with Phoenix finally resembling their normal self offensively, but Los Angeles was able to keep them at bay with timely baskets of their own. As a result, they went into the final quarter up 101-79.
While the Suns certainly made things interesting, they simply ran out of time despite having all of the momentum.