The Lakers narrowly escape another embarrassment by a miracle

Victory for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Phoenix Suns by 116-114 away from home in a game they completely had in the bag in the last quarter but almost threw away in the last crazy minutes.

With Luka Doncic having one of his worst days of the year (7 for 25 from the field and 2 for 14 from three-point range), the Lakers shot themselves in the foot. They were up by ten points with 3 minutes left, had led by almost 20, but almost lost it.

The game had a dramatic ending. Dillon Brooks hit a three-pointer with about 12 seconds left to put Phoenix ahead, but then he was ejected after receiving a second technical foul for confronting LeBron James. LeBron himself missed the technical free throw, but shortly after, he was fouled on a three-point shot and made two out of three attempts, enough to regain the lead for the Lakers and seal the victory.

The start was clearly offensive for Los Angeles, shooting 54% from the field. Deandre Ayton led the scoring with six points, closely followed by Luka with five. After a timeout called by Phoenix with the Lakers up by seven, local turnovers allowed an easy layup for Devin Booker. An 8-2 run by the Suns tied the game with 3:23 left in the first quarter, with Mark Williams standing out for Phoenix with eight points. Despite quick four points from Hayes off the bench, LeBron's five turnovers in the period were costly, and a 10-2 run gave the Suns a five-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Phoenix started the second quarter with five straight points, but the Lakers responded with Ayton as the focal point in an 8-2 run that tightened the score. Luka and Ayton reached double digits with 12 points each, while Royce O'Neale had a great performance from three-point range with four makes out of five attempts. With 5:11 left until halftime, Los Angeles was down by four, with 12 turnovers accumulated against the Suns' intense defensive pressure. The final stretch of the quarter was marked by fouls from Brooks and Booker on LeBron, who went to the line four times and made three free throws to tie the game at halftime.

After halftime, the game became slow-paced. Both teams exchanged baskets until fouls and referee reviews disrupted the rhythm. Brooks committed his fifth foul, while the Lakers showed little energy and heavily relied on the three-pointer without success. Nevertheless, with 5:28 left in the third quarter, they were just four points behind. The shooting percentages were very low: Los Angeles had made four of 22 shots and Phoenix five of 15, with neither team finding success from beyond the arc. A 9-0 run gave the lead back to the Lakers, capitalizing on a four-minute scoring drought by the Suns. A spectacular dunk by Hayes and the energy provided by LaRavia, with two assists and two blocks, shifted the momentum. The first three-pointer of the quarter came from Vincent, allowing Los Angeles to close the third quarter nine points ahead.

The final quarter began with absolute dominance by the Lakers, extending their lead to 18 points. Phoenix missed 13 consecutive shots from the end of the third quarter, while LeBron sank a three-pointer breaking the team's long-range shooting drought as part of a 24-0 run. The Lakers' defense suffocated the Suns, but the game turned around again, and Phoenix responded with a run that reduced the lead to single digits. Ayton and Luka added five crucial points to halt the surge, although another offensive slump by Los Angeles allowed the Suns to get within two points.

Crazy Finish

With 56 seconds remaining, LeBron came up with a vital layup. Grayson Allen answered from the line to keep the lead at two. In the next play, Smart was inexplicably blocked on a layup instead of milking the clock, leading to Brooks' three-pointer that put Phoenix ahead by one point. Brooks' subsequent ejection, LeBron's missed free throw on the technical, and his two makes from the line after the foul on the three-pointer left the score at 116-115 for the Lakers. In the final possession, LeBron altered Allen's decisive shot, Smart grabbed the rebound, and with 0.4 seconds left, he made one free throw and deliberately missed the second to seal a victory as hard-fought as it was unlikely.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los Lakers se salvan de otro bochorno de milagro