Game ID: 22301203
Phoenix Suns @ Los Angeles Lakers
Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 10:00 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAL 33 26 24 23 106PHX 23 24 35 21 103
LAL vs PHX ScoutingLAL vs PHX Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAL availability going into 11/27 · 1 day's restOUT Reddish missed 2 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 4 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 13 since 11/01, out tonight
NEW Christie 14 to 21 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 11/29 · 1 day's restOUT Hachimura missed 2 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Reddish missed 3 since 11/22, returns tonight: 20 min (95% of 20)
OUT Vanderbilt missed 5 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 14 since 11/01, out tonight
NEW Christie 14 to 27 min over the last 4
LAL availability going into 11/30 · back-to-backOUT Hachimura missed 3 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 6 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Vincent missed 15 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 20 min since (95% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 26 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/02 · 1 day's restOUT Hachimura missed 4 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Vanderbilt missed 7 since 11/19, returns tonight: 14 min (68% of 20)
OUT Vincent missed 16 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 20 min since (95% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 25 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/05 · 2 days' restOUT Hachimura missed 5 since 11/25, returns tonight: 21 min (79% of 27)
OUT Vincent missed 17 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 22 min since (107% of 20)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (68% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 26 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 18 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 21 min since (79% of 27)
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 25 min since (120% of 20)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (72% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 21 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/12 · 4 days' restOUT Vincent missed 19 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 21 min since (79% of 27)
BACK Reddish back 11/29 after 3, 24 min since (119% of 20)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (72% of 20)
NEW Christie 14 to 19 min over the last 5
LAL availability going into 12/13 · back-to-backOUT Vincent missed 20 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 24 min since (88% of 27)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 14 min since (72% of 20)
LAL availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Vincent missed 21 since 11/01, out tonight
BACK Hachimura back 12/05 after 5, 24 min since (88% of 27)
BACK Vanderbilt back 12/02 after 7, 15 min since (75% of 20)
PHX availability going into 11/26 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 6 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Watanabe missed 4 since 11/19, returns tonight: 15 min (113% of 13)
OUT Bol missed 9 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Metu back 11/21 after 2, 11 min since (90% of 12)
NEW Gordon 28 to 35 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 11/29 · 2 days' restOUT Durant missed 2 since 11/24, returns tonight: 36 min (95% of 38)
OUT Beal missed 7 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 10 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Watanabe back 11/26 after 4, 15 min since (113% of 13)
BACK Metu back 11/21 after 2, 11 min since (94% of 12)
NEW Gordon 28 to 35 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 8 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Allen missed 2 since 11/26, returns tonight: 37 min (111% of 33)
OUT Bol missed 11 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Durant back 11/29 after 2, 36 min since (95% of 38)
BACK Watanabe back 11/26 after 4, 15 min since (117% of 13)
BACK Metu back 11/21 after 2, 12 min since (100% of 12)
NEW Gordon 28 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Okogie 16 to 22 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/02 · back-to-backOUT Beal missed 9 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 12 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Durant back 11/29 after 2, 36 min since (96% of 38)
BACK Allen back 12/01 after 2, 37 min since (111% of 33)
BACK Watanabe back 11/26 after 4, 15 min since (117% of 13)
NEW Okogie 16 to 24 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/05 · 2 days' restOUT Beal missed 10 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Bol missed 13 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Durant back 11/29 after 2, 35 min since (93% of 38)
BACK Allen back 12/01 after 2, 35 min since (105% of 33)
BACK Watanabe back 11/26 after 4, 15 min since (116% of 13)
NEW Gordon 28 to 34 min over the last 4
NEW Okogie 16 to 24 min over the last 5
NEW Goodwin 14 to 22 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/08 · 2 days' restOUT Beal missed 11 since 11/15, out tonight
OUT Metu missed 2 since 12/02, returns tonight: 23 min (192% of 12)
OUT Bol missed 14 since 11/08, returns tonight: 1 min (8% of 11)
BACK Durant back 11/29 after 2, 36 min since (95% of 38)
BACK Allen back 12/01 after 2, 36 min since (110% of 33)
BACK Watanabe back 11/26 after 4, 15 min since (116% of 13)
NEW Gordon 28 to 34 min over the last 4
NEW Goodwin 14 to 21 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/12 · 3 days' restOUT Beal missed 12 since 11/15, returns tonight: 27 min (81% of 34)
BACK Durant back 11/29 after 2, 36 min since (95% of 38)
BACK Allen back 12/01 after 2, 36 min since (110% of 33)
BACK Metu back 12/08 after 2, 23 min since (192% of 12)
BACK Bol back 12/08 after 14, 1 min since (8% of 11)
NEW Gordon 28 to 35 min over the last 4
NEW Okogie 16 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Goodwin 14 to 19 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 18 min over the last 3
PHX availability going into 12/13 · back-to-backOUT Durant missed 2 since 12/08, returns tonight: 38 min (101% of 38)
OUT Allen missed 2 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Beal back 12/12 after 12, 27 min since (81% of 34)
BACK Metu back 12/08 after 2, 24 min since (201% of 12)
BACK Bol back 12/08 after 14, 3 min since (26% of 11)
NEW Gordon 28 to 34 min over the last 4
NEW Goodwin 14 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Watanabe 13 to 20 min over the last 3
PHX availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Allen missed 3 since 12/08, returns tonight: 36 min (107% of 33)
BACK Durant back 12/13 after 2, 38 min since (101% of 38)
BACK Beal back 12/12 after 12, 30 min since (90% of 34)
BACK Metu back 12/08 after 2, 23 min since (190% of 12)
BACK Bol back 12/08 after 14, 3 min since (26% of 11)
NEW Gordon 28 to 35 min over the last 3
NEW Goodwin 14 to 22 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Davis at 27 and James at 20 a game. Without Hachimura (5 straight), Vincent (17 straight). 2 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 28 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Booker at 28 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Beal (10 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Phoenix wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-6 a night and the Lakers minus-2 and the defense, Phoenix allowing 108 a night to the Lakers' 118. Call it Phoenix 114, the Lakers 113, the Lakers keeping it close.
11/27 @ PHI 94-138 — LAL notes
LAL lost 94-138. LAL shot 47% (39 of 83) to PHI's 51%, 7 of 28 from three, and got to the line 13 times to PHI's 26. LAL turned it over 17 times to PHI's 5, and PHI turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 32-48 against them. James led with 18 (8 of 12); Davis added 17, Reaves 12. Q2 was theirs, 34-36, but the other 3 periods went 102-60 against them. Hayes's -33 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/29 @ DET 133-107 — LAL notes
LAL won 133-107. LAL shot 51% (45 of 88) to DET's 41%, 12 of 34 from three, and went to the line 38 times to DET's 14 — 31 points from the stripe to their 12. The glass went 49-39 for them. Russell led with 35 (13 of 17, 5 of 7 from three); Davis added 28, James 25. The hinge was Q1, 38-24: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 33. Russell was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
11/30 @ OKC 110-133 — LAL notes
LAL lost 110-133. LAL shot 44% (36 of 81) to OKC's 53%, 11 of 33 from three, and went to the line 32 times to OKC's 22 — 27 points from the stripe to their 19. LAL turned it over 13 times to OKC's 7, and OKC turned those into 9 steals. Davis led with 31 (11 of 18, 9 of 10 at the line); James added 21, Russell 16. Q1 was theirs, 37-30, but the other 3 periods went 103-73 against them. They led by as many as 14. Reaves's -23 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/02 vs HOU 107-97 — LAL notes
LAL won 107-97. LAL shot 45% (40 of 89) to HOU's 40%, 8 of 27 from three, and went to the line 27 times to HOU's 18 — 19 points from the stripe to their 14. LAL turned it over 9 times to HOU's 16. Davis led with 27 (10 of 22, 7 of 9 at the line); Reaves added 18, James 16. The hinge was Q2, 35-14: LAL came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 16, and the lead reached 19. Christie was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
12/05 vs PHX 106-103 — LAL notes
LAL won 106-103. LAL shot 37% (38 of 102) to PHX's 49%, 9 of 30 from three. LAL turned it over 9 times to PHX's 20. James led with 31 (12 of 25, 2 of 4 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Davis added 27, Reaves 20. The hinge was Q1, 33-23: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Reaves was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/07 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 116, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Davis at 26 and James at 22 a game. Without Vincent (18 straight). One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Williamson at 22 and Ingram at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Nance Jr. (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-4 a night and the Lakers minus-4 and the arc, New Orleans at 35 percent from three to the Lakers' 31. Call it New Orleans 115, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
12/12 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 36 and Irving at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Williams (3 straight), Green (4 straight), Kleber (14 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 106, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 30 free throws a game; Davis at 26 and James at 25 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Vincent (19 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 30 free throws a game to Dallas's 23 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-3 a night and Dallas minus-2. Call it Dallas 115, the Lakers 114, the Lakers keeping it close.
12/13 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 17 and Johnson at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Davis at 28 and James at 26 a game. Without Vincent (20 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 39 percent from three to San Antonio's 32 and the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-2 a night and San Antonio minus-4. Call it the Lakers 115, San Antonio 111, San Antonio keeping it close.
12/15 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 112, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 20 and Johnson at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Davis at 29 and James at 28 a game. Without Vincent (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Lakers have been plus-3 a night and San Antonio minus-6 and the arc, the Lakers at 40 percent from three to San Antonio's 32. Call it the Lakers 116, San Antonio 109.
11/26 @ NYK 116-113 — PHX notes
PHX won 116-113. PHX shot 46% (42 of 91) to NYK's 45%, 16 of 38 from three, and got to the line 21 times to NYK's 32. PHX turned it over 11 times to NYK's 6. Booker led with 28 (10 of 25, 1 of 4 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Gordon added 25, Goodwin 14. The hinge was Q1, 34-22: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 15. Booker was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
11/29 @ TOR 105-112 — PHX notes
PHX lost 105-112. PHX shot 40% (38 of 94) to TOR's 45%, 7 of 26 from three. Durant led with 30 (11 of 30, 2 of 8 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Nurkić added 19, Gordon 10. Q3 was theirs, 27-26, the deficit cut from 7 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 86-78 against them. Booker's -15 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/01 vs DEN 111-119 — PHX notes
PHX lost 111-119. PHX shot 46% (39 of 84) to DEN's 57%, 9 of 27 from three, and went to the line 26 times to DEN's 12 — 24 points from the stripe to their 7. The glass went 43-32 for them. Nurkić led with 31 (13 of 22, 2 of 6 from three); Durant added 30, Gordon 16. Q2 was theirs, 33-29, the deficit cut from 11 to 7, but the other 3 periods went 90-78 against them. Bates-Diop's -10 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/02 vs MEM 116-109 — PHX notes
PHX won 116-109. PHX shot 43% (36 of 83) to MEM's 45%, 9 of 26 from three, and went to the line 43 times to MEM's 24 — 35 points from the stripe to their 22. Booker led with 34 (9 of 21, 3 of 8 from three, 13 of 13 at the line); Durant added 27, Nurkić 14. The hinge was Q3, 34-21: PHX came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 16. PHX trailed 50-51 at the half and won the second half 66-58. Okogie was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
12/05 @ LAL 103-106 — PHX notes
PHX lost 103-106. PHX shot 49% (37 of 75) to LAL's 37%, 12 of 25 from three. PHX turned it over 20 times to LAL's 9, and LAL turned those into 11 steals. Durant led with 31 (12 of 17, 4 of 7 from three); Allen added 21, Booker 21. Q3 was theirs, 35-24, the deficit cut from 12 to 1, but the other 3 periods went 82-68 against them. Eubanks's -16 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/08 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Durant at 30 and Booker at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Beal (11 straight). 2 days' rest. Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 122, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 26 free throws a game; Fox at 32 and Monk at 20 a game. Without Mitchell (2 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 112 a night to Sacramento's 122. Call it Phoenix 117, Sacramento 115, Sacramento keeping it close.
12/12 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 27 free throws a game; Durant at 30 and Booker at 23 a game. Without Beal (12 straight). 3 days' rest. Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 28 free throws a game; Curry at 28 and Thompson at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Jackson-Davis (5 straight), Payton II (4 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Golden State has been plus-9 a night and Phoenix plus-0 and the defense, Phoenix allowing 112 a night to Golden State's 119. Call it Phoenix 116, Golden State 114, Golden State keeping it close.
12/13 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 29 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Booker at 29 a game. Without Durant (2 straight), Allen (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Brooklyn comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Bridges at 28 and Thomas at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Simmons (15 straight), Smith Jr. (2 straight), Walker IV (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Brooklyn wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Brooklyn has been plus-8 a night and Phoenix minus-1 and the line, where Phoenix takes 29 free throws a game to Brooklyn's 22. Call it Brooklyn 116, Phoenix 114, Phoenix keeping it close.
12/15 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 30 free throws a game; Booker at 30 and Durant at 28 a game. Without Allen (3 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 126, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Randle at 29 and Brunson at 23 a game. Without Robinson (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 112 a night to New York's 126. Call it Phoenix 117, New York 114, New York keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXDB D. Booker
DE D. Eubanks
EG E. Gordon
GA G. Allen
JG J. Goodwin
JN J. Nurkić
JO J. Okogie
KB K. Bates-Diop
KD K. Durant
NL N. Little
NU Nurkic
LALAD A. Davis
AR A. Reaves
CR C. Reddish
DR D. Russell
JH J. Hayes
JV J. Vanderbilt
LJ L. James
MC M. Christie
RH R. Hachimura
TP T. Prince
PHX/LAL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
LeBron James leads Lakers to the In-Season Tournament semifinals with a 106-103 win over Suns
LOS ANGELES -- — 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.
“You’ve got some of the most alpha male competitors in the world, and if you give us an opportunity to play for something meaningful or an incentive, then you get what you’re getting,” said James, who also racked up 11 assists, eight rebounds and five steals. “The In-Season Tournament is what it is, and we have an opportunity to play on a big stage, be on national television, represent our families, our communities, where we come from.”
James put on a masterful shooting performance down the stretch, scoring 15 of the Lakers' first 19 points in the final period and getting the assists on his teammates' other two baskets as Los Angeles pulled ahead.
Kevin Durant scored 31 points, but he badly missed a long 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.
Devin Booker cut the Lakers' lead to 102-101 on a layup with 29 seconds to play, but Reaves drilled his third 3-pointer with 15 seconds left.
After Durant made another layup moments later, the Suns were left furious when officials granted James' request for a timeout while the ball appeared to be loose because Booker had knocked it away from Reaves an instant earlier.
“It’s a loose ball, and you can’t call a timeout on a loose ball," Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said. “The whistle blows. I don’t know why. Everything in the league is reviewable. I don’t know why that can’t be reviewable. … We got the trap, we got the turnover, (and the) damn whistle blows. It’s just frustrating.”
Reaves said he thought Booker probably fouled him an instant before the timeout was granted.
“There was no call, and LeBron made a high-IQ play he’s made a million times,” Reaves said.
Durant didn't share his coach's anger about the call, saying he didn't initially believe the ball was loose when the timeout was granted.
“That's not the ballgame,” Durant said. “That's one play. It's a 48-minute game. I don't like to complain about calls. Sometimes the ref ain't going to get it right all the time. Sometimes it's on us to play through all that stuff and not worry about putting the game in the ref's hands.”
Davis was eventually fouled, but he missed one of two free throws to open the door for Durant's potential tying 30-footer.
Booker and Grayson Allen scored 21 points apiece for Phoenix.
The Lakers earned the top seed in the West by going unbeaten in the group stage of the inaugural tournament, including a win Nov. 10 in Phoenix. The Suns rebounded from that setback to earn a wild-card spot in the knockout round.
While fans are still debating the merits of the In-Season Tournament, both Vogel and Lakers coach Darvin Ham said their players are getting into the spirit of the event, particularly with the motivation to earn financial bonuses for their teams’ support personnel and younger players.
“They’re well aware of that bag,” Ham said with a grin. “Money speaks, man.”
Bradley Beal missed his 11th straight game with a persistent back injury for the Suns, who hung in despite committing 22 turnovers while their two healthy superstars struggled with foul trouble. Booker picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter, while Durant entered the final period with four fouls and committed his fifth with 3:18 to play.
Phoenix committed 10 turnovers in the first quarter alone, the most by any team in the league this season. The Suns trailed by 15 in the first half, but scored 14 consecutive points out of halftime to take a lead.
“We didn’t do enough early in the game,” Vogel said. “The turnovers and on the glass, if we do a better job, we’re not talking about a close game like that.”
UP NEXT
Suns: Host the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
Lakers: Face the Pelicans at Las Vegas in Thursday's tournament semifinals.