Reaves drops 25, Lakers outlast Suns to continue postseason push
The Lakers got away with a 122-111 win over the Suns in Los Angeles today to improve to 36-37 in the season and stay within range of the Western Conference play-in picture.
The win sparked a nine-game losing streak against Phoenix that dates back to the first round of the 2021 playoffs.
Austin Reaves enjoyed another great outing for Los Angeles in the absence of LeBron James, adding 25 points, a career-high 11 assists and four rebounds with 6-of-10 from the field and 12-of-13 from the streak while finishing a game-high +18.
Anthony Davis had 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists on 10-of-18 shooting, while D’Angelo had 26 points and six assists on 9-of-13 shooting.
Dennis Schröder added 13 points and four rebounds off the bench while Jarred Vanderbilt finished with 13 of his own on 5-of-5 shooting.
The first quarter belonged to Phoenix before Los Angeles stringed together an extended 35-20 run to extend the lead to a dozen.
The Suns fought their way back into the game thanks to a 14-point third quarter courtesy of Devin Booker, cutting the lead to just one in the fourth.
Anthony Davis – who had 20 in the second half – came out with a newfound aggressiveness and displayed some elite shots to lead the Lakers to a much-needed win.
Los Angeles finished the game on a 23-12 run, winning their 10th of their last 15.
The Lakers won the rebounding edge and the fight in the paint while shooting better percentages from the field and from three.
They forced 17 Phoenix turnovers and hit 26 more free throws while the Suns had more success on the offensive glass and got more goals off their bench.
With Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton both unavailable, Devin Booker led the way for Phoenix, who finished with a game-high 33 points on 11-of-16 shooting along with six rebounds and five assists.
Chris Paul finished the tournament with 18 points and four assists while Landry Shamet added 15 points from the bench.
The Lakers – now a game under .500 – are tied with Dallas for the ninth seed and half game against the Thunder and Timberwolves.
Their next matchup is against Oklahoma City on Saturday afternoon.
Phoenix, meanwhile, has fallen to 38-34 and is currently a half-game ahead of the fifth-seeded Clippers.
They will also play the Kings away on Saturday.