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The LA Lakers showcased their mettle tonight and dominated the majority of Game 2 to win 109-102 against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns made a run down the stretch and Frank Vogel's unit had to dig deep, but some heroics from LeBron James sealed the deal for the defending champs.
The Phoenix Suns were majorly stunted by the struggling Chris Paul, who played just 23 minutes tonight. The LA Lakers didn't face any such problems as both LeBron James and Anthony Davis dictated proceedings throughout the matchup.
Monty Williams' men were able to claw back from a 15-point deficit to tie things at 86 apiece, but the Purple and Gold just held their nerve at the end. Without further ado, let's look at five talking points from the LA Lakers' series-leveling win against the Phoenix Suns.
#1 LA Lakers bigs bounce back
Both Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond had forgetful outings in Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns but the duo bounced back and showed the needed aggression tonight. The LA Lakers were able to enjoy the advantage on the boards too, as they outrebounded the Suns 39-31.
Drummond camped out inside the paint and gave the Suns forwards a lot of trouble on the glass. He made good use of his physicality to get early locks underneath the rim and got high percentage looks as a result. The LA Lakers' starting center had a double-double by halftime and finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Anthony Davis didn't settle for shots and used his burly frame to get closer to the basket. He put the Phoenix Suns' Jae Crowder in foul trouble and got to the charity stripe more often. Davis also posted up and created looks for his teammates. Except for Deandre Ayton, AD was also able to fend off all Suns players attacking the rim. He finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks.
#2 Phoenix Suns impacted by Chris Paul's shoulder injury
Chris Paul's fitness was a major concern for the Phoenix Suns leading up to this matchup. Paul suffered a right shoulder contusion in the first game against the LA Lakers and was heavily taped up at tip-off tonight.
CP3 evidently struggled from the first possession and had a tough time making plays with his usual sharpness. With Paul struggling to dictate proceedings, the Suns ended up being lackadaisical in possession, turning the ball over six times in the first quarter.
To make things even worse, Paul's shoulder stiffened up after the break and he managed to play just seven minutes in the second half. The Phoenix Suns missed Point God's experience as the LA Lakers ran away with the game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Paul finished with six points and five assists.
#3 Role players step up for both teams
With Chris Paul out of the picture for the majority of the game, the Phoenix Suns had to rely on backup point guard Cameron Payne and he rose to the occasion. Payne made big-time shots down the stretch, especially in the fourth quarter. He scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half and recorded seven assists.
Dennis Schroder had a comeback game as well after struggling from the field on Sunday. Schroder was too quick for his defenders as he drove to the basket with ease on multiple occasions. The German led the scoring for the LA Lakers through three quarters before taking a backseat in the fourth. He finished with 24 points on 50% shooting.
#4 Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker shine again in Phoenix Suns' loss
Despite the LA Lakers' forwards doing a better job tonight, Deandre Ayton managed to leave his imprint on the game. Ayton made timely cuts to the basket and was there for the putbacks as he finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Devin Booker struggled to shoot well tonight and only went 7-of-17 from the field. Booker made the most of the extra attention he received from the LA Lakers defenders, though. The Phoenix Suns' primary scorer got to the free-throw line a whopping 17 times and made all of his attempts to finish with 31 points.
#5 LeBron James turns up in the clutch to secure the win for the LA Lakers
LeBron James once again proved why he's the man for the biggest occasion. The LA Lakers committed a shot-clock violation with the score reading 93-92 in their favor and 3:40 left in the game. After a Phoenix Suns' miss, LeBron dropped one of his classic fadeaway jumpers to start a run for the Purple and Gold.
The LA Lakers used that momentum to rush to a 100-94 lead with less than a minute remaining on the game clock. That's when James made use of an Anthony Davis screen to get rid of his defender and drained the dagger three.
LeBron James facilitated his team's offense all game against the Phoenix Suns and took matters into his own hands in the clutch. He finished with 23 points, nine assists and four rebounds.
