Phoenix >> The Lakers opened the game either bobbling the ball or clanking shots off the rim on nearly possession. They ended the first half by allowing Phoenix to throw both an alley-oop lob and a bank shot from halfcourt. Then, the Lakers spent the rest of the evening doing little to fix the damage.
The Lakers did not exactly conclude huddles with chants of “1, 2, 3, Cancun” as they once did before facing elimination in the 1998 NBA playoffs. But the Lakers still played in their 137-101 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday as if the week-long All-Star break started early. In related news, the Lakers posted their second-worst defensive performance of the season behind conceding 147 points to Golden State on Nov. 23.
The Lakers missed 12 of their first 14 shots. D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram each committed two turnovers midway through the first quarter. After Suns center Tyson Chandler thwarted Russell’s entry pass to Lakers rookie center Ivica Zubac, Suns guard Devin Booker immediately raced for a dunk for a 21-6 lead with 5:54 remaining in the first quarter. While Russell chewed out Zubac over his post positioning during the subsequent timeout, Lakers coach Luke Walton cleared the rest of his bench.
Little changed, though. The Lakers trailed 32-15 in what tied a season low in points scored in the first quarter, a mark the Lakers also set against Phoenix on Nov. 6. The Lakers’ first half ended with Suns guard Eric Bledsoe throwing a half-court lob to Marquese Chriss with 1:05 remaining, prompting Lakers coach Luke Walton to call timeout. Then just before the buzzer, Bledsoe banked in a 41-foot shot from halfcourt for a 68-48 halftime lead.
As if Lakers associate coach Brian Shaw needed another reason to watch the game from the locker room while battling an illness. As if the Lakers (19-39) had any more reason to make trade inquiries for the Feb. 23 deadline a day before playing their next game in Oklahoma City.
The ugliness continued. Lakers center Tarik Black collected his fifth foul to enter the third quarter. Ingram and Nick Young were stuffed at the rim on consecutive possessions. The Lakers trailed, 102-76, and there was still a whole fourth quarter to play. Walton burned numerous timeouts after bad defensive miscues including when Knight scored a wide-open dunk for a 133-99 lead with 2:01 left. Walton spent the entire timeout chewing out Ingram. Moments later, Russell did the same thing to Ingram over another missed defensive assignment.
Once it ended, the Lakers finished with sobering statistics. They allowed Bledsoe to record a triple-double (25 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds). Nearly the rest of Phoenix’s starting lineup posted double-figure scoring, including Booker (23), Marquese Chriss (15) and TJ Warren (11). The Suns (18-39) scored 60 points in the paint and 41 fast-break points. Phoenix also went 29 of 34 from the foul line.
Though Russell had 21 points on 7-of-20 shooting and four assists, he missed six of his first nine shots. Ingram had as many turnovers (two) as he did points (three) on 1-of-7 shooting. Lou Williams (21 points) and Jordan Clarkson (15 points) marked the lone highlights.
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