Advertisement
Lakers

Five takeaways from Lakers’ loss to Phoenix

1/14
The Lakers’ Nick Young drives past center Miles Plumlee of the Phoenix Suns during a recent game.   (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
2/14
Suns guard Goran Dragic wraps a pass around Lakers power forward Carlos Boozer while center Jordan Hill looks on.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
3/14
Lakers center Tarik Black lies on the court after sustaining an injury in the second half of the Lakers loss.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
4/14
Lakers power forward Carlos Boozer, who played at Duke, battles against former North Carolina power forward Brandan Wright in the first half of the Suns/Lakers matchup.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
5/14
Boxer Floyd Mayweather takes in the Suns/Lakers matchup from his court side seats.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
6/14
Suns guard Eric Bledsoe glides through the Lakers defense as guard Wayne Ellington, left, and center Jordan Hill, right, look on.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
7/14
Lakers guard Nick Young reacts after being called for a foul against Suns guard Eric Bledsoe in the second half of the Suns’ 115-100 win.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
8/14
Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin drives the baseline in the first half.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
9/14
Suns guard Gerald Green hangs in the air looking for a passing option while Lakers center Tarik Black defends in the second half.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
10/14
Suns forward P.J. Tucker chases behind a dribbling Lakers forward Wesley Johnson in the first half.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
11/14
Lakers power forward Carlos Boozer tries to put up a shot with Suns power forward Brandan Wright draped on him.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
12/14
Suns center Alex Len blocks Lakers forward Ed Davis’ shot attempt in the first half.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
13/14
Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin attempts to shoot between Suns forward Markieff Morris (11) and center Alex Len (21) in the first half.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
14/14
Suns Coach Jeff Hornacek reacts in the first half.  (Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
By Mike Bresnahan
Share

The Lakers keep losing, five in a row and no end in sight. Here are five takeaways from their 115-100 loss Monday at Phoenix.

1) Turnovers, turnovers. The Lakers had 23 in all and six — six! — by Jordan Hill. Wesley Johnson somehow had four, as did the suddenly pass-oriented Nick Young.

2) Young broke out of a horrible January slump with 24 points on seven-for-12 accuracy. He was shooting 29% this month before Monday. He also had three assists, and the joke among reporters was whether it was a season-high or career-high. (Yes, season-high but not a career-high.)

Advertisement

3) Jeremy Lin was solid with the ball, handing out 10 assists and adding 10 points. But the Suns’ three guards of note averaged 21.6 points and 5.3 assists.

4) Jordan Clarkson had the Lakers’ play of the game, a put-back dunk in the second quarter that surprised everybody. But he made only two of seven shots and was beat by Isaiah Thomas on a few occasions.

5) The Suns won’t go far in the playoffs because of a total lack of a post presence. But they’re fun to watch when they’re hitting their shots and nobody has a deeper backcourt than Thomas, Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic.

More to Read

Lakers
Mike Bresnahan

Mike Bresnahan previously covered the Lakers for the Los Angeles Times. He started the beat in 2004, a month after Shaquille O’Neal was traded, and covered several seasons of mediocrity before the Lakers won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. Now they’re back to mediocrity. Bresnahan is from Los Angeles, started with The Times after graduating the University of Wisconsin in 1994, and has also covered the L.A. Kings, pro beach volleyball and numerous colleges and high schools. He left The Times in 2016.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Advertisement