Another warning sign for the Lakers in lopsided defeat to Suns

Dillon Brooks’ words about LeBron James hung in the air during another Lakers visit to Arizona. The animosity between the two players is well known – a strange kind of rivalry that reached its peak in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. That series, won by a Lakers team that entered as the No. 7 seed in the West and went on to reach the conference finals, carried the added intrigue of seeing both players go head to head. And, unsurprisingly, the victory belonged to LeBron (4–2). Not only because of the series result, but because of the level each player showed. The King averaged more than 22 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. His nemesis, whom he matched up with on several occasions, barely topped 10 points, grabbed just three boards per game and shot under 24% from three-point range – many of them wide open – missing 32 of the 42 threes he attempted in the series. There was a clear winner. In every sense.

Brooks, however, never seems to tire of taking shots at James. After the Lakers’ win in Phoenix just over a week ago (116–114) – a game LeBron sealed from the free-throw line and one in which his professional peer and sworn rival was ejected after fouling out – the Suns forward went back on the attack. “He’s addicted to social media… I wish we’d let him take that shot and that shit would’ve been an airball,” Brooks said, referring to the foul committed on the active legend on the final play, which sent him to the line to settle a heart-stopping finish that ultimately went the Lakers’ way. That was the backdrop heading into another meeting between the two, with the Lakers arriving without Luka Dončić and coming off an unexpected loss to the Clippers, where the Slovenian was injured. Given the moment their Los Angeles neighbors are in, more than anything else.

That was the scene for a Suns team looking for revenge and eager to keep stacking wins in the Western Conference, with Devin Booker as their leader and Brooks, it must be said, in fine form. Arizona has entered a new era after shedding the toxicity of Kevin Durant and the dreadful contract of Bradley Beal, but the Suns remain stuck in the traffic jam behind the Thunder in the West – with the Nuggets, Rockets, Spurs, Lakers and Timberwolves joining the late scramble – as they try to pull away from a play-in picture that is just as congested. The Lakers, meanwhile, came into the challenge trying to quiet doubts about their uneven play so they don’t fall out of contention in an NBA where wins often feel insufficient and losses are punished harshly. One step forward, one step back – in a game that promised high voltage. Dillon Brooks made sure of that.

As so often happens in these situations, the Suns came out on top (132–108), and Dillon Brooks got his revenge on LeBron as if this were a matter of poetic justice. He finished as the leading scorer for both his team and the game with 25 points, shooting 10 of 15 from the field and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. That came despite LeBron’s solid night – 23 points on 7 of 14 shooting, including 3 of 5 from deep. But the home team surged, and the absence of Luka Dončić proved far too costly for the Lakers to overcome. Phoenix led by as many as 32, poured in 45 points in the third quarter and forced 17 turnovers from the visitors. Devin Booker, with 21 points and 11 assists, quietly pulled the strings to lift his teammates. The Suns avenged last week’s loss and made two things clear – that they can fight anyone, anywhere… and that the Lakers still have a long (very long) way to go before they can truly convince the world they’re built to win. Far too long.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

Phoenix Suns

Stats

3 Dillon Brooks
0 Royce O'Neale
15 Mark Williams
1 Devin Booker
12 Collin Gillespie
17 Jamaree Bouyea
0 Ryan Dunn
20 Rasheer Fleming
23 Jordan Goodwin
21 Nigel Hayes
11 Oso Ighodaro
10 Khaman Maluach
2 Nick Richards
14 Koby Brea
18 Isaiah Livers

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
3 Dillon Brooks	23	25	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2/2	7/9	3/6	0	2	0
0 Royce O'Neale	22	12	3	1	2	3	1	1	0	0/0	0/0	4/5	0	2	0
15 Mark Williams	21	18	9	3	6	2	0	0	2	4/4	7/8	0/0	0	1	0
1 Devin Booker	27	21	2	0	2	11	4	2	0	7/8	7/12	0/2	0	3	0
12 Collin Gillespie	28	16	4	1	3	8	2	3	0	0/0	2/2	4/8	0	1	0
17 Jamaree Bouyea	24	14	4	0	4	2	1	0	1	0/0	7/7	0/3	0	0	0
0 Ryan Dunn	28	4	7	2	5	2	2	1	1	0/0	2/4	0/2	0	5	0
20 Rasheer Fleming	9	7	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	2/2	1/1	1/2	0	1	0
23 Jordan Goodwin	21	8	1	0	1	3	1	2	0	2/2	0/1	2/6	0	2	0
21 Nigel Hayes	5	0	2	1	1	1	1	0	0	0/0	0/2	0/0	0	1	0
11 Oso Ighodaro	20	5	3	1	2	3	0	0	1	1/2	2/2	0/0	0	3	0
10 Khaman Maluach	5	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	0/0	1/3	0/0	0	3	0
2 Nick Richards	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
14 Koby Brea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
18 Isaiah Livers	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

23 LeBron James
12 Jake LaRavia
5 Deandre Ayton
36 Marcus Smart
3 Nick Smith Jr.
11 Jaxson Hayes
9 Bronny James Jr.
14 Maxi Kleber
4 Dalton Knecht
30 Chris Mañon
15 Austin Reaves
1 Adou Thiero
2 Jarred Vanderbilt
17 Drew Timme

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
23 LeBron James	25	23	2	0	2	6	0	0	0	6/11	4/9	3/5	0	0	0
12 Jake LaRavia	28	12	5	3	2	1	2	2	2	2/4	2/5	2/3	0	2	0
5 Deandre Ayton	27	12	10	3	7	1	2	3	0	0/1	6/8	0/0	0	2	0
36 Marcus Smart	29	14	3	2	1	6	1	0	0	0/0	1/3	4/8	0	3	0
3 Nick Smith Jr.	28	12	1	0	1	1	2	0	0	1/2	4/8	1/3	0	5	0
11 Jaxson Hayes	5	2	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	2/2	0/0	0/0	0	2	0
9 Bronny James Jr.	9	0	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/2	0	0	0
14 Maxi Kleber	8	2	2	0	2	1	1	0	0	0/0	1/2	0/0	0	0	0
4 Dalton Knecht	14	3	3	1	2	0	1	0	1	1/1	1/2	0/3	0	1	0
30 Chris Mañon	5	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1	0
15 Austin Reaves	21	17	2	0	2	2	3	0	0	4/5	5/6	1/5	0	4	0
1 Adou Thiero	13	6	2	1	1	2	1	1	0	2/3	2/4	0/1	0	2	0
2 Jarred Vanderbilt	19	5	5	3	2	1	2	0	0	0/0	1/2	1/2	0	0	0
17 Drew Timme	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0