PHOENIX — In its brief two-season history, NBA Cup games have typically been when the Lakers are at their best.
Their collective focus is usually dialed up, understanding the stakes for the In-Season Tournament – including a $500,000-plus cash prize for each player on the Cup-winning team.
This typically was most evident defensively, with the Lakers, a team that has generally struggled on that end of the court over the last couple of seasons, raising their energy and physicality multiple levels above their norm.
That wasn’t the case in the Lakers’ 127-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, their first defeat in an NBA Cup matchup and their third consecutive loss overall to drop them to 10-7.
“Really liked how we played offensively in the first half,” Coach JJ Redick said. “Defensively, we were physical. A couple, I would call them ‘game-plan mistakes.’ We had a better first half than the score. Just kinda lost it offensively, and we weren’t getting stops on top of that.”
The Lakers shot 43.5% from the field (37 for 85) and 23.5% from 3-point range (8 for 34) for the night, and just 28.6% and 16%, respectively, in the second half.
“You get down and there certainly can be some momentum and some energy,” Redick said. “We got good looks. But sometimes the missed shots can sort of have an effect, especially if you’re not getting stops on the other end.”
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists, while LeBron James had 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
But their impact was negated by the Lakers’ subpar defensive performance, allowing the Suns to shoot 51.5% (51 for 99) overall, including 40.5% from 3-point range (17 for 42).
“We may have to just look at some things defensively, particularly against really good offensive teams, about what our overall sort of strategies are,” Redick said. “They kind of got whatever they wanted. Their main players got to their spots and hit tough 2s, which they do. And they still took 42 3s.”
Redick said before the game that he was confident his team would have a “great response” after the Lakers were outscored by the Denver Nuggets 70-39 in the second half of Saturday night’s home loss.
That response only lasted for one half, with Tuesday’s second half unfolding in similar fashion.
The Lakers were competitive with the Suns before the break, trailing only 62-60 at the intermission.
But just like the Nuggets, the Suns blitzed the Lakers as soon as the second half started, going on a 15-2 run midway through the third quarter to open a 91-74 lead that grew to 98-78 by the time the quarter ended.
“Obviously we gave up too many points in the third,” James said, “and we’re not scoring in the third. Gotta shore that up.”
The Suns outscored the Lakers 36-18 in the third, similar to the 37-15 advantage the Nuggets had against the Lakers in that period on Saturday. Devin Booker had 11 points during the Suns’ run, while Jusuf Nurkic had 10.
“We got to be better as a group,” said guard D’Angelo Russell, who had 16 points and four assists. “Get off to a solid start, third quarter, a little suspect. Teams make a run, you got to respond.”
The Suns (10-7), who were led by Booker’s 26 point, 10-assist double-double, didn’t need to continue their offensive onslaught in the fourth, taking a 115-88 lead with 4:25 remaining before both teams pulled their starters.
Backup center Jaxson Hayes, who made his return to the lineup on Tuesday after missing the previous six games because of a sprained right ankle, aggravated the injury after dunking with just over a minute left in the game. He was helped to the locker room after momentarily laying on the floor.
Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, both of whom returned to the court after missing multiple games because of strained calves, each scored 23 points for Phoenix, which snapped a five-game losing streak.
The Lakers have allowed their opponent to score at least 30 points in 10 of their last 14 quarters going back to the second half of their Nov. 19 victory over the Utah Jazz.
That stretch includes allowing 29 points in two different quarters – in the third quarter of their Thursday home loss to the Orlando Magic and in the fourth against the Suns.
“Pride, communication,” Davis responded when asked about the team’s defensive issues. “A big part of it is communicating, covering for one another, trusting each other. We all try to do the right thing, but the lack of communication that goes on, we’re not mind readers.
“So if we’re not talking, we can be thinking we’re doing the right thing but the other four guys or the other guy that you’re in the action with might not know what’s going on. If we just clean up our communication we’ll be fine.”
The Lakers’ 122.4 defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) is the league’s worst mark in teams’ last four games.
“Just being more connected,” guard Austin Reaves (15 points) said. “Trusting our system, trust in our coverages and at the end of the day, just competing your ass off. Playing super hard and covering for one another. If your brother gets beat on a closeout, you got to have a low man to be there and then you have to have the X and you got to be able to feel really connected in those situations.
“You just have to feel every possession, if something bad does happen, then that system and the foundation is going to help you get through that with talk and communication. It’s really just being locked in together.”
The Lakers had gone 9-0 in NBA Cup games before Tuesday. They beat the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 15 and the Jazz on Nov. 19 in Group Play games after going 7-0 in tournament play last season to win the inaugural event.
The Lakers will visit the Spurs again Wednesday on the second night of a back-to-back for both teams, then they play their final Group Play game on Friday when they host Oklahoma City, needing a win (and likely a loss by the Suns to the Spurs) to have a chance at the knockout stages because of point-differential tiebreakers.
