Just when it looked like the Los Angeles Lakers may have been building some momentum, that momentum ended on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns won their eighth consecutive game over L.A., including the 2021 NBA Playoffs, by getting past Anthony Davis and company, 115-105.
Turnovers and 3-pointers were the two big problems for the Lakers. They gave the ball away 17 times and were only able to hit 18.2 percent from downtown.
There were some fireworks with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter. Devin Booker blocked a shot attempt by Austin Reaves, and right afterward, in the same motion, Booker hit the Lakers guard in the face. Deandre Ayton stood over Reaves while the latter was on the ground, and Patrick Beverley violently pushed the Suns center, earning himself an ejection.
However, the incident failed to get the Lakers going. Reaves made both ensuing free throws, and Davis scored on the ensuing possession, bringing them to within six, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the way.
Anthony Davis: A+
Davis did just about everything he could to give Los Angeles a real shot at winning.
He went 11-of-17 from the field and 15-of-16 from the free throw line to finish with 37 points, 21 rebounds, five steals and five blocked shots. The Suns, as was the case for the Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs in the last three games, simply had no answer for him.
His performance on Tuesday put him in some very select company.
Davis appeared to suffer an injury to his left arm or wrist during the second quarter. He was seen flexing it numerous times afterward, but it didn’t seem to affect his play on either end of the floor.
Troy Brown Jr.: D
Brown missed all five of his shot attempts from the field and went scoreless. He did grab three rebounds in about 21 minutes, but he also didn’t give the Lakers a whole lot on the defensive end.
Lonnie Walker IV: A-
Walker has simply been a revelation for head coach Darvin Ham and the Lakers.
The guard had 24 points against the Suns on 8-of-18 shooting, to go along with two assists and one steal. He got it done not only by slashing to the basket, but also by hitting from the perimeter.
Austin Reaves: B
After five consecutive games with at least 15 points, Reaves had a quiet night, taking just five shots and making three of them while hitting all five of his free throw attempts to score 11 points. He also contributed three rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot.
At times, Reaves had trouble guarding Booker, who was able to get to his sweet spots against him, but the Lakers guard was also able to make his usual assortment of hustle plays.
Patrick Beverley: B
His cheap shot on Ayton aside, Beverley helped the Lakers’ cause by grabbing 10 rebounds and getting two assists. Offensively, he took only two shots and missed both, as he went scoreless.
Beverley, a career 37.5 percent 3-point shooter, has been frigid from that distance this season, and he absolutely needs to return to form in that department for the Lakers to climb the standings.
Russell Westbrook: B-
Westbrook shot just 8-of-20 from the field and 3-of-7 from the charity stripe, but he helped keep L.A. in the contest. He finished with 21 points, three rebounds, five assists and one steal as he looked to attack the basket early and often.
He also had only one turnover, which was the fewest number of turnovers he has had in a game since Oct. 23.
Kendrick Nunn: B
Nunn played only about nine minutes, but during that time he contributed by hitting 2-of-4 shots, scoring four points and dishing off two assists.
With Dennis Schroder back, Nunn appears to be the odd man out of Ham’s guard rotation.
Dennis Schroder: D-
It was a rough night offensively for Schroder, who missed all six of his field-goal attempts and failed to score a single point in 20 minutes.
However, he did a relatively good job of shadowing the Suns’ ball handlers defensively, and it is a skill that will serve the Lakers well moving forward.
Thomas Bryant: A-
Bryant scored eight quick points early in the second quarter to help keep L.A. close. Overall, he was 4-of-5 from the field, and he scored eight points to go along with three rebounds and one blocked shot in 11 minutes.
Wenyen Gabriel: C+
In about seven minutes, Gabriel didn’t score a point, as he missed all three of his shot attempts, but he did get two rebounds.
Story originally appeared on LeBron Wire