The Los Angeles Lakers have been anything but hot coming out of the NBA All-Star break, suffering a third-straight loss, this time to the Phoenix Suns.
Thursday night’s loss was yet another close one, with the Lakers having a chance to win, as the two teams remained tied 80-80 heading into the fourth. However, it came down to Royce O’Neal nailing a clutch three-pointer with 1.7 seconds left, ultimately giving Phoenix a 113-110 home win.
Luka Doncic scored 41 points in last night’s game to go with eight rebounds and eight assists. The Lakers also received 15 points from LeBron and 14 points from Austin Reaves in the disappointing loss.
Read more: Luka Doncic Breaks Silence on LeBron’s Final Play in Lakers’ Loss to Magic
Following the game, Reaves was asked about his “frustration level” after letting control of the game slip away and losing another one on the final plays.
“Very high,” Reaves said regarding his frustration level after losing a third-straight game.
He had a good look at a final shot for his team, but indicated he “just missed,” suggesting that’s the way things go sometimes.
Reaves was also asked how to move on from the recent string of losses and improve as their season continues. His answers were standard fare from NBA players, although critics have varying opinions of what the Lakers need to do.
“Watch film. Be better. Control the very controllable things that we’re doing out there. You know? You gotta move on and be better next time,” Reaves told reporters.
One of the main concerns for the Lakers is their defense. In Thursday night’s game, the Suns attempted 50 three-point shots, connecting on 22 of them. Phoenix’s Grayson Allen and Collin Gillespie accounted for 12 made threes on 27 attempts.
Allen finished with 28 points off the bench, while Gilespie had 21 points in a game where the Suns were without their starting stars, Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks, due to their injuries.
During ESPN’s “First Take” on Friday morning, Stephen A. Smith referred to Reaves and his teammate Doncic as “flagrant defensive liabilities.”
“Offensively, they can click, but defensively, they’re such a liability that you can’t load up all your money on those guys,” Smith said regarding Doncic and Reaves as the Lakers move forward and look to improve their team.
Los Angeles, now 34-28, gets a day to recover and figure out how to rebound after the latest loss. They’ll next face the Golden State Warriors on Saturday evening in another road game.
Read more: Lakers’ LeBron James Assigns Blame for Final Play in Loss to Magic
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