The Lakers secured the last semifinal spot in the NBA in-season tournament, while the Suns were left furious when officials granted L.A. a timeout late in the game.
LeBron James scored 15 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers secured the last semifinal spot in the inaugural NBA in-season tournament with a 106-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
Anthony Davis had 27 points and 15 rebounds and Austin Reaves scored 20 for the top-seeded Lakers, who will face New Orleans on Thursday in Las Vegas. Milwaukee plays Indiana in the East semifinal. The championship game will be staged Saturday, with the winner taking home the NBA Cup.
« You have a playoff environment out there, » said D’Angelo Russell, who struggled for eight points on 3-of-11 shooting for Los Angeles. « Everybody is coming ready to play. You saw a lot of bodies on the floor. That’s a playoff-like intensity. That’s what the in-season is bringing. It just allows us to get in that mode before the playoffs are here. »
James put on a masterful shooting performance down the stretch while also racking up 11 assists, eight rebounds and five steals. The 21-year veteran scored 15 of the Lakers’ first 19 points in the final period and got the assists on his teammates’ other two baskets as Los Angeles pulled ahead.
Kevin Durant scored 31 points, but he badly missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer for the Suns. Phoenix had won eight of 10 before losing to Los Angeles for the third time already this season.
