Suns - Lakers Series Now Tied at 1-1
- Matt Elvy
- May 26, 2021
- 4 min read
The Suns lose Game 2 of their 1st round series 102 - 109.
Going in to Game 2 it was obvious that the Lakers would be better than they were in Game 1. Their coaching staff had clearly made adjustments for this game, as they defended the pick and roll more effectively here and did everything they could to keep the ball out of Devin Booker's hands.
The Suns seemed more nervous for this game, than they did in Game 1. They were unable to take care of the ball in the 1st quarter, leading to 7 turnovers in the period - 3 from from Booker. For the game they finished with 13 turnovers vs 7 for the Lakers. This led to more scoring opportunities for LA. They took 80 shots in the night, connecting on 45% of them. The Suns however only managed 71 shots, at a similar 46%. This really was the difference in the game, as both teams got to the fouls line a similar amount times and also shooting a similar % from 3.
Game 1 had the Lakers chasing us the whole game, but game 2 was the other way round, as seen here in the game flow from Viziball
These differences were most clear in the closing minutes of the 4th quarter. The Lakers had both their All-Stars on the floor, the Suns just had Devin Booker, as CP3 sat for all but 2 minutes of the 4th.
After picking up a shoulder injury in Game 1, Chris Paul was unable to play to the end of game 2, sitting on the Suns' bench in crunch time. Paul only managed 22 minutes and was clearly still struggling with the injury. I noticed a few times, when he made a long pass, the ball would go towards the player's feet, demonstrating the lack of power that Paul is experiencing.
Cameron Payne's heroics off the bench could not make up for an ailing CP3 sitting out the end of the game. He had a great bounce back game after being ejected, for not a lot in Game 1, tallying only 5 points in 12 minutes. He was active all over the court, as we've become accustomed to seeing over the course of the season. He used his quickness to break down the defence for lay-ups and passes inside for open Deandre Ayton dunks. He also showed his competitive fire hitting a deep 3 in the 4th quarter as part of the Suns' comeback after digging a 15 point hole. He was instrumental in that run, with no Chris Paul and the Lakers blitzing Booker every time he had the ball. Payne finished with 19 points, 7 assists, 1 steal & 2 blocks.
Devin Booker had another good showing. As mentioned above the Lakers had adjusted their defence on him, trying to make things more difficult for him. Though he wasn't as effective shooting the ball from the field (41%), he made sure he was getting points by getting to the foul line.... a lot. Book shot 17 of 17 from the free throw line, which is a new Suns franchise record for consecutive free throws in a Playoff game. The previous high was held by Tom Chambers, who once shot 16 of 16.
Book did everything he could to keep the Suns in the game. Over the last few possessions, he was fouled 3 times in a row, 2 of them from 3, however by this point it was too late. A 3 pointer each from LeBron and Davis, as well as a patented turnaround fadeaway from James, had put the game out of reach.
Deandre Ayton had another fantastic game. He shot 11 of 13 for 22 points. over the 2 games he is 21 for 24 from the field. He played great defence again and when matched up with Anthony Davis, made it difficult to make shots. Davis definitely is not finding it easy to score on DA. Ayton had highlight dunks all night again and at one point, put the ball on the floor out on the 3 point line, to drive past Drummond for a reverse lay-up. He also had 10 rebounds, but with the Lakers' size, I'd really like to see him pulling in more, similar to game 1.
To think that we only lost by 7, without CP3 playing, has to give Suns fans hope that we can still come out of this series on the winning end. LeBron also still looks a slight step slower than usual, as over half his shots have been from 3, which traditionally hasn't been where he does his damage on offense.
Next game is Thursday night at 3am, with the Suns on the road in LA.
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