NBA
Suns too strong as reigning champions Lakers eliminated
Los Angeles Lakers, current NBA champions, fell 113-100 to the Phoenix Suns (4-2 aggregate) on Thursday, culminating a painful elimination in the first round of the playoffs for the team.
Reigning NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers are out of this year's championship after falling 113-100 to the Phoenix Suns (4-2 aggregate) on Thursday. The defeat seals a painful elimination in the first round of the playoffs for the team captained by LeBron James.
It is the fifth time in basketball league history that a defending title team has been eliminated in the first round of the play-offs the following season. San Antonio suffered this fate twice (2000, 2015), as had Miami in 2007 and Dallas in 2012.
The pressure was on the LA franchise on Thursday and their quest to save the series suffered an early setback after Anthony Davis was forced to retire from the action after just five minutes with his groin injury giving problems.