Lakers Vs Suns: lakers vs suns finish with Royce O'Neale's last-second 3
In a lakers vs suns thriller in Phoenix, Royce O'Neale hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 0. 9 seconds left to lift the injury-depleted Suns to a 113-110 victory over the Lakers. Luka Dončić scored 41 points as Los Angeles rallied from 12 down in the fourth but fell for a third straight loss.
Lakers Vs Suns in Phoenix
The Suns, playing shorthanded, held on in Phoenix when O'Neale's shot with nine-tenths of a second remaining settled cleanly through the net. The final margin was 113-110 as the Lakers' late comeback fell short after Austin Reaves' attempted three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Last-second sequence
With the game tied late, Marcus Smart inbounded and LeBron James and Maxi Kleber ran a double-screen to free Austin Reaves. Reaves floated to the corner, received a cross-court pass and his shot missed. Reaves said simply, "Just missed. " Moments earlier, Phoenix had run a decisive play in which Grayson Allen blew past Dončić, Dončić and James collided and fell, Allen whipped a pass to Collin Gillespie, who swung it to a wide-open Royce O'Neale for the winning three. Coach JJ Redick said, "There was no one to rotate, essentially. So, got a clean look and he made it. "
Doncic's 41-point night
Dončić drove the fourth-quarter rally, hitting back-to-back threes as the Lakers erased a 12-point deficit. He finished with 41 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and noted the Suns' barrage from deep: "They shot 50 threes, you know? So, obviously they made a lot. So they were just moving around. I think a couple stretches we did a pretty good job being physical, but then just a couple stretches of not being physical and they just were [taking over]. "
Suns' depth and injuries
The Suns were missing All-Star guard Devin Booker (right hip strain), Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) and Jordan Goodwin (left calf strain) but still made 22-of-50 three-pointers. One account listed Grayson Allen with 28 points and six assists off the bench; another listed him with 26 points and six assists. Collin Gillespie had 21 points in one tally, and another note said Allen and Collin Gillespie combined for 27 three-point attempts and made six each. Royce O'Neale finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists, and he scored the Suns' final seven points after a pair of free throws and a layup in the two possessions before his game-winner.
Standings, streaks and reactions
The Lakers fell to 34-24 while Phoenix was listed at 34-26 in one set of records. The loss extended Los Angeles' losing streak to three games — their third such stretch this season — and continued a recent run of late defeats: they had been blown out by the Boston Celtics on Sunday and lost by one at home to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, when Dončić passed up a three and threw the ball to LeBron James, who missed a hurried last-second three. One line in the standings placed the Suns in seventh in the Western Conference, now only a game back from the sixth-place Lakers for the final guaranteed playoff spot. The Lakers have lost three straight games and were 19-20 since Dec. 1 in another accounting.
Player notes and coach comments
LeBron James had a tip-in that tied the score and finished with 15 points, six rebounds and five assists, with 22. 7 seconds left on that tying play. Austin Reaves was five-for-12 from the field and two for five from three-point range in the game and later called the team's level of frustration "Very high. " Coach JJ Redick said, "Our losses are louder than other teams' because we're the Lakers and because of the way we lose. Tonight was a one-possession clutch game, which, now we've lost a few of those. But we've been great for the most part in the clutch all year. "
A two-time national college coach of the year and 2019 NCAA champion said, "to help 'the Lakers in any way I can is exciting. '" unclear in the provided context.
The sequence in the final seconds — Allen driving, Dončić and James colliding, Gillespie swinging the pass and O'Neale sinking the three — left the Lakers with another agonizing finish and extended their recent woes in late-game situations.
