PHOENIX — A late surge wasn’t enough. And the inconsistent energy continues to disrupt the Lakers' rhythm, showing just so in the desert.
Luka Dončić and the late surge from the Lakers nearly dragged them all the way back from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit, but Royce O’Neale’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left sealed a 113-110 loss on Thursday at the Mortgage Matchup Center.
The Lakers executed a perfect play with the time they had left but couldn't get the shot to fall to send it to overtime. A sharp elevator screen set by LeBron James and Maxi Kleber got Austin Reaves free for a clean corner look, but the shot rimmed out at the buzzer, giving the Lakers their third straight loss.
"Tonight was a one-possession clutch game. Now, we've lost a few of those, but we've been great for the most part in the clutch all year," coach JJ Redick said on the loss.
The Lakers' climb was catapulted by a berserk second-half performance from Dončić—hitting two clutch 3s late in the fourth—and an all-around effort from the rest of the group in the final six minutes. An energy that would have had them in the win column had they held the same effort from start to finish.
Dončić finished with a game-high 41 points on 12 of 21 shooting with eight rebounds and eight assists. James finished with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.
The Suns outhustled and outworked the Lakers throughout the game to make up for the absence of two of their most productive players, Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks.
Where They Stand
The Lakers drop to 34-24 and are slowly pushing themselves closer down to the play-in spot. They still sit at No. 6 in the Western Conference but are one game away from being dropped to seventh, where the Suns stand.
The Lakers have lost five of their last seven games.
The Game-Changer: Suns burning 3s and Hustle
It wasn’t just O’Neale’s final shot.
The damage started earlier when Phoenix built separation with perimeter shooting; the Lakers were never fully contained. The Suns knocked down 22 3-pointers —double the Lakers’ total— on 44% shooting, hitting open shots from deep when they needed them most.
The Suns' effort also helped them snag 15 offensive rebounds on the night, which led to 14 second-chance points.
The Gamebreaker: Collin Gillespie
Although Grayson Allen could have easily been the game's “gamebreaker,” with a team-high 28 points off the bench, Gillespie gets the award, as he poured in four of his six 3s in the fourth quarter.
Gillespie hit his biggest 3 of the night down the stretch after Dončić hit another big-time 3 to inch the Lakers closer, getting the Slovenian to bite in the air on a pump fake to give the Suns a five-point lead.
Gillespie finished with 21 points in 31 minutes. Allen also had six 3s on the night.
Next On The Schedule
The Lakers head to San Francisco for the first time this season at Chase Center in their third matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
Then L.A. will play seven of its following eight games at home.