Devin Booker scored 30 points on Tuesday as the Phoenix Suns left LeBron James and the depleted Los Angeles Lakers facing elimination from the NBA playoffs with a crushing 115-85 victory.
Phoenix took full advantage of the injury absence of the Lakers’ Anthony Davis to dominate the defending NBA champions from early in the first quarter before romping to a comfortable win.
The Suns’ victory leaves them 3-2 ahead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series, meaning the Lakers must win in Los Angeles in Game 6 today to keep their season alive.
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA Today
Even with a victory, the Lakers would face a trip back to Arizona for a decisive Game 7, an assignment that must look even more daunting after Tuesday’s blowout loss.
“I feel like every game in this series, the next game is the biggest game,” Booker said. “I think this was a real pivotal game for us. We wanted to protect home court and we came in here and showed that.”
The Lakers took a 10-5 lead early in the first quarter.
However, they trailed for the remainder of the contest, with Phoenix turning the screw with a dominant 21-2 run to start the second quarter.
Phoenix led by 36 points in the third and a disconsolate James left the court well before the end of a grim night for the Lakers.
James led the Los Angeles scoring with 24 points, with Kyle Kuzma adding 15 from the bench. No other Lakers player made double figures.
“We got our ass kicked — it’s that simple,” James said afterward. “We’ve got to be better if we want to force a Game 7. A lot to cover and see what we can do better in Game 6, but they pretty much just kicked our ass, there’s nothing else really to say.”
In other games on Tuesday, it was:
‧ Nuggets 147, Trail Blazers 140
‧ Nets 123, Celtics 109
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