The Los Angeles Lakers were in for a treat after Luka Doncic‘s brutal first quarter (20 points on 8-of-11 shooting), but ended up losing 108-125 to the Phoenix Suns and Dillon Brooks (33 points) and Collin Gillespie (28 points).
It is the fifth time that Doncic has scored at least 20 points in a quarter, which puts him only behind Kobe Bryant in this historic NBA record.
Luka Doncic, who finished the game with 38 points (15 of 26 from the field), 11 rebounds and five assists, hampered his performance with nine turnovers that ended up condemning the purple and gold.
It was my fault. I shouldn’t have nine turnovers in a game
“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have nine turnovers in a game,” said the former Real Madrid player after the game.
Doncic scored at least 30 points for the sixth consecutive game, but he was also responsible for nine of the Lakers’ 21 turnovers.Austin Reaves scored 16 points for an apathetic Lakers team playing its third home game in four nights.
With this defeat, the Lakers snapped a seven-game winning streak.
The Los Angeles team is second in the Western Conference with a record of 15 wins and five losses.
LeBron narrowly saved his historic streak of 1,297 consecutive games with at least 10 points
LeBron James (40 years old) finished with 10 points, just keeping his incredible double-digit streak alive in 1,297 consecutive regular season games.
James saved his historic streak thanks to a three-pointer with 6:51 left to preserve the streak, which began on January 7, 2007.
Collin Gillespie, the Suns’ secret weapon against the Lakers
Devin Booker, the Suns’ star player, scored 11 points before leaving the field two minutes before the end of the first quarter with a right groin injury.
Dillon Brooks, one of the toughest players in the NBA, took over from the injured Devin Booker with 33 points.
Collin Gillespie, NCAA champion in 2018 with Villanova and NBA champion in 2023 with the Nuggets, was the big surprise for the Nuggets as he starred in the best of his career with 28 points (8 triples, 5 assists and 4 rebounds).
The Suns forced 21 Lakers turnovers and built a decisive 21-point lead in the third quarter.
The Suns, meanwhile, are seventh in the West with a 13-9 record
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