SUMMARY
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Dario Saric unloaded 21 points off the bench, and the visiting Phoenix Suns defeated the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers, 114-104, despite losing All-Star Devin Booker to an ejection in the 3rd quarter on Tuesday, March 2 (Wednesday, March 3, Philippine time).
Mikal Bridges had 19 points, Deandre Ayton and Booker added 17 and Jae Crowder scored 15 on 4 three-pointers for the Suns, who won their third in a row and their sixth in 7 games.
With the upset win, the Suns knock off the Lakers to claim the No. 2 spot (23-11) as the Lakers (24-12) slip to 3rd in the Western Conference.
Phoenix’s Chris Paul had 10 assists to go along with 8 points.
LeBron James had 38 points and 6 assists for the Lakers, who were without center Marc Gasol (health and safety protocols) and forward Kyle Kuzma (heel contusion).
Dennis Schroder scored 17 points, Talen Horton-Tucker chipped in 16 and Markieff Morris finished with 12 for the Lakers.
A three-pointer by Abdel Nader gave the Suns a 104-93 lead midway through the 4th quarter. The Lakers got no closer than 8 the rest of the way.
Booker was tossed with 7:10 left in the 3rd quarter after drawing a pair of technical fouls for apparently disputing a call. Booker, the Suns’ leading scorer at 25.5 points per game entering the contest, added 6 assists and 3 steals in 24 minutes.
The Suns were leading 70-63 at that point. The Lakers sliced the gap to 70-68 on a jumper, but they were unable to take the lead. Phoenix held an 86-83 advantage heading into the 4th quarter.
The Suns led by as many as 11 in the opening quarter before the Lakers rallied in the 2nd.
Los Angeles took a 45-44 edge after a bucket by Damian Jones, but Phoenix regained it after Booker hit two foul shots for a one-point advantage with 3:17 left in the quarter.
Bridges’ three-pointer ended the half, giving the Suns a 60-53 lead.
Three-point shooting boosted the Suns. Phoenix made 16-of-29 three-pointers to 11-of-31 for Los Angeles. – Rappler.com
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