For the second straight spring, the Phoenix Suns ended the Lakers’ season prematurely. The Lakers fell, 121-110, at Footprint Center on Tuesday and were subsequently eliminated from the Play-In Tournament.
After the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Denver Nuggets earlier in the evening, the next Lakers loss or Spurs win would’ve eliminated Los Angeles from the postseason. With their season on the line, the Lakers came out with a fighting spirit, leading the Suns, 31-28, after one quarter. Phoenix, however, closed the half on a 15-8 run, and the Lakers trailed, 63-58, at halftime.
The Lakers were aware of the Spurs’ result by intermission, but that wasn’t enough to prevent another lackluster third-quarter performance. The absence of LeBron James (left ankle sprain) and the Lakers’ defensive limitations eventually were too much to overcome, as the Suns pulled away and their lead swelled to as much as 26 points in the second half.
“Extremely disappointed,” Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said. “Disappointed for our fan base. Disappointed for the Buss family, who gave us all this opportunity, and we want to play our part in bringing success to Laker basketball, and we fell short. We were eliminated tonight, and I can say it’s not been due to a lack of effort. We have all put in the work. Our guys stayed fighting right until the end.
“In terms of being eliminated, we brought integrity to the process.
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