Phoenix Suns can’t overcome lousy 1st half, lose to LA 119-108

This game may have been played in Los Angeles, but there was no hint of Hollywood glamour in this matchup. T.J. Warren and Devin Booker even tried to write an ending fit for the silver screen, but it turned into a twist worthy of M. Night Shymalan by the end, as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns 119-108.

Warren provided the only offensive spark for the Suns in the 1st half, leading all scorers with 15 points after starting the game 0-5 from the field and carried his production into the 3rd quarter, finishing with 22 points. Booker took Warren’s spark and threw gasoline on it in the 2nd half, scoring 29 of his career-high 39 points after halftime as Phoenix shaved a Laker lead that had been as much as 16 down to just a single point in the 4th.

Unfortunately for Phoenix, that 93-92 deficit ballooned back to 10 in just over a minute late in the 4th as the Suns committed a series of errors that included giving up a costly, momentum-shifting 4-point play to Nick Young. The Suns could never recover from there.

The first half of this game could be summarized in one word: ugly. The Suns and Lakers combined for 25 1st half turnovers, and the trio of Booker, Eric Bledsoe, and Brandon Knight combined for just 15 points on 5-of-20 shooting in the opening half. Meanwhile, Phoenix’s bench was outscored 25-1 in the 1st half.

Young led the Lakers with 22 points, followed by Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson with 18 apiece.

Rookie Marquese Chriss saw just one minute of court time, while fellow rookies Dragan Bender and Tyler Ulis saw none, much to the chagrin (I assume) of Suns fans.