The Los Angeles Lakers had some distinct flaws throughout the regular season. However, it seemed like the return of Anthony Davis and LeBron James had got them firing again. However, in the first match in the playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, they slumped to a 90-99 defeat.
The Lakers Are Playing Like The Underdogs
This season’s squad for the Lakers is not the team that they were last time when they became champions. However, their reputation and the presence of stars like James and Davis make them seem flawless. But that is far from the case, after the most recent match.
The Lakers had somehow scraped past the regular season in a thrilling victory over the Golden State Warriors in the play-ins. The Warriors have not made it into the postseason even with the record-breaking season of Stephen Curry. However, the win had brought back the optimism in the Lakers’ camp.
However, the spring in their step did not last long at all as the Suns made them look listless. It was made worse because the Suns were playing with an injured Chris Paul for the majority of the match. Los Angeles could not make anything out of it, as DeAndre Ayton and Devin Booker outshone Davis and James. This was the first playoff appearance for youngsters Ayton and Booker.
Los Angeles converted a meager 60.7% of their free-throw attempts. Their struggles in offense did not end there. Only 43.4% of the attempts at field goals and 26.9% of their attempts for three points were converted.
That is to say, Los Angeles possibly did not take the first game as seriously as Phoenix. The day’s best team undoubtedly was Phoenix even though Los Angeles had the season’s best two players. Perhaps it was only an unfortunate night when both Davis and James were not on form.
