Luka Doncic sat at the table for his postgame news conference and turned the box score over in disgust.
There was nothing the Lakers superstar wanted to see there.
The Lakers’ seven-game winning streak came to a crashing halt with a 125-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Monday at Crypto.com Arena.
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While Doncic continued his scoring surge with 38 points and 11 rebounds, the loss laid bare the Lakers’ biggest problems. Doncic turned the ball over nine times while the Lakers (15-5) had 22 turnovers that led to 32 points for the Suns (13-9). Their middle-of-the-road defense had no answer for Phoenix’s dizzying offense that shot 57% from the field. LeBron James, who sat out Sunday to manage a left foot injury at the start of the Lakers’ home back-to-back, faded into the background most of the night.
Read more: Lakers try to fight the boredom of seventh straight win
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer didn’t exert any force on the game until the fourth quarter as the possibility of his 18-year streak of games with 10 or more points looked to be in danger. Entering the fourth quarter with just six points, James hit a step-back fadeaway jumper with 6:51 to go that pushed him to 10 points for the 1,297th consecutive game.
It was the only moment of consequence in a second half that the Lakers had long let get out of control.
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“It’s like the Monstars taking over the people that you’ve grown to coach,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “And they’re not doing anything that they normally do. It’s weird.”
Lakers star LeBron James passes to forward Dalton Knecht against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
A puzzled Redick credited possible “brain fog” caused by three games in four days. The team that had at least played hard enough to compete in 17 of 19 games by Reddick’s estimation was letting opponents run by in transition. The Lakers suddenly forgot basic defensive assignments such as going over screens against Phoenix’s best three-point shooters.
Then they got burned by Collin Gillespie, who buried four three-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 28 points and eight made threes. Dillon Brooks had 33 to lead the Suns, who had little trouble scoring despite losing star guard Devin Booker.
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“The basketball gods reward you, and they also punish you,” Redick said. “And so in the moments when we had a chance to be rewarded, we didn’t do what we were supposed to do, and we got punished.”
Lakers guard Austin Reeves shoots over Suns center Mark Williams during the Lakers’ loss Monday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Booker left the game with 2:05 remaining in the first quarter and didn’t return because of a right groin injury. The Suns still dictated the pace and built a 14-point halftime lead by finishing the second quarter on a 19-4 run. Brooks had 23 points in the first half.
Doncic scored 20 points in the first quarter for the second consecutive game, but unlike when he dominated the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, Doncic’s scoring was not enough Monday. Instead of blitzing Doncic with extra defenders the way most teams have done, the Suns almost invited the star guard to score. Suns center Mark Williams, with his 9-foot-9 standing reach, was enough to stymie Doncic in the paint.
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Doncic, who took blame for the offensive struggles and turnovers, called the coverage “confusing.”
“We didn’t play hard enough,” said guard Austin Reaves, who had 16 points and three assists to five turnovers. “You know that, and you don’t let it affect you going forward. But you remember, just what the feel[ing is], what the energy was like. And you do the opposite of that.”
The Suns, the league leaders in steals, forced 12 Lakers turnovers in the first half, which led to 17 points for Phoenix. The Suns outscored the Lakers 16-0 in fast-break points.
Lakers guard Marcus Smart missed a third consecutive game, leaving the Lakers without a stalwart defender and vocal leader. He was previously sidelined because of back spasms, but the Lakers designated Monday’s absence as back injury management. Redick doesn’t believe the absence will be long-term as Smart underwent imaging that was “unremarkable,” Redick said, outside of looking “like a normal 11-year NBA veteran,” the coach added with a smile.
Dodgers World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto sits courtside during Monday’s game between the Lakers and Phoenix Suns. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers could use Smart’s toughness as they proceed toward a difficult three-game East Coast trip that begins Thursday in Toronto. They play three games in four days, including in Boston on Friday and in Philadelphia on Sunday. All three teams are above .500, while the Lakers are 4-4 against such teams.
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“We had our little setback and a little shot to the chin,” said center Deandre Ayton, who had 12 points and nine rebounds, “but it’s not going to knock us down.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
