LOS ANGELES – After beating the Lakers 114-104 Tuesday without their top and All-Star winner Devin Booker down the line, the Phoenix Suns have said they will put a stamp of legitimacy on the season aca.
“I think Jae Crowder said the best: We got better tonight,” Suns coach Monty Williams said after the game. “You gain confidence when someone like Book is not playing or throwing and you are able to pull a game out on the road at the end of a trip. That is a recipe to put in place, and this group has shown a lot of resilience, but that was a long-term character gain, and we got better.
“I think we played well tonight, but we may have gained more confidence that we can pull out a game without Devin or Chris. [Paul] saving the day. ‘ ‘
Booker was thrown to build two technical fangs with 7:10 left in the third quarter and Phoenix ahead 70-63. Booker had 17 points at the time to lead the Suns.
“Booker got his first technical deception for a persistent complaint and then got his second technical deception, and according to what was dismissed, for directing deceptive language at a game officer,” the crew leader said , Marc Davis, to ESPN as part of a post-match pool report.
The Lakers, playing without Anthony Davis for the eighth straight game due to right leg injuries and also missing center-backs Marc Gasol (health and safety protocols) and Kyle Kuzma (bruised right heels), naturally ‘seeing the ejection as an opportunity to get back into the competition. But the Suns doubled the lead from seven to 14 with the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter without Booker.
“I don’t know if it was a big win, except we felt like we had a chance to win a game in which we were down,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “He didn’t play like that.”
The win ended a 3-0 win for Phoenix and improved the Suns record to 15-3 in the last 18 games. They also jumped LA in the standings, moving up to No. 2 in the Western Conference with the win.
“We’re just trying to get better at every game, but I honestly felt today that we got better,” said Crowder, who, with 15 points on a 5-of-8 shooting, as one of five Suns to score in double numbers. “I came into the locker room and told those boys. Booker left in the third quarter and we could have folded or we could rise to the challenge, and we decided to take the challenge. “
Mount Phoenix outperformed LAs 38-27, with the Suns firing 16-for-29 from line 3 (55.2%) compared to the Lakers’ 11-for-31 mark from depth (35.5%).
“I can’t be too happy on the farm, man,” Suns forward Mikal Bridges said. “We know what we’re doing; we know we’re getting better. We have to keep going and get better.
“Any team can be beaten, and if we rest, there are a lot of tough teams. Even teams with poor records, they’re going to play hard, so we’ve had to keep growing. better, not rest and keep playing. “
Phoenix has one more game before the All-Star break, at home against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.