LeBron James Walks Off the Court Early as Lakers Suffer Humiliating Playoff Blowout Loss
Devin Booker scored 30 points after two quiet games and the Phoenix Suns sent LeBron James to the locker room early, dismantling the Los Angeles Lakers 115-85 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 first-round series lead.
The Suns won in Los Angeles on Sunday to tie the series and went right at the Anthony Davis-less Lakers in front of a revved-up home crowd in Game 5.
Davis was out after suffering a groin injury in Game 4 and the Suns took advantage by attacking every chance they had. The Lakers put up little resistance, allowing Phoenix to score nearly at will while building a 30-point halftime lead — Los Angeles’ largest halftime deficit in 25 years.
The Suns made 14 3-pointers and had just four turnovers against the NBA’s regular-season defensive efficiency leader.
The only bad news: point guard Chris Paul took a shot to his injured right shoulder in the third quarter and did not return.
James scored 17 of his 24 points in the third quarter, but couldn’t rally the listless Lakers. The four-time league MVP sat at the end of the bench by himself in the fourth quarter before heading to the locker room with about five minutes left.
Many on social media mocked the outspoken Lakers star.
Lebron fans be like: “we are gonna see 2012 Lebron tonight. He will show he can carry this team without Davis”
LeBum: leaves the bench with over 5 minutes left because of embarrassment pic.twitter.com/Wfntxeuasi
— Justin Simao (@J_Simao08) June 2, 2021
??? LeBron wanted to go watch the Nuggets win. ?. #lebum pic.twitter.com/Xac40AXyTE
— Kenzos_customs (@Kenzos_customs) June 2, 2021
Lebron: Also Lebron: pic.twitter.com/wSI3oYGbqD
— suns in 6 (@matt_scheller) June 2, 2021
This is how I will always remember @KingJames he is a Quitter, we have seen it too many times, always HIS team until they loose, then he disappears, pouts, sits at the end of the bench! Youngsters out there…this is NOT how you handle defeat..quitting is the easiest thing to do! https://t.co/o0CdYyp5QK
— Ben McDonald (@realbenmcdonald) June 2, 2021
Lebrun does this all the time. He is not a great team mate when there has a tough loss. MJ never abandon his teammates during a tough loss
— Fernando Rodriguez (@Frod0774) June 2, 2021
Afterward, James told reporters, “We got our ass kicked. I mean, it’s just that simple.”
“We got our ass kicked, it’s that simple…we have to be better if we want to force a Game 7.” LeBron James shares his thoughts on tonight’s loss with @LakersReporter and areas the #LakeShow will need to improve at STAPLES in Game 6. pic.twitter.com/FQtlBG8uL3
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) June 2, 2021
Game 6 is Thursday in Los Angeles.
The series between one-time rivals has been shaped by injuries.
The Suns won the first game in the desert despite Paul injuring his shoulder. Los Angeles won the next two with Paul ailing, then Phoenix took Game 4 102-94 in Los Angeles after Davis went down with a groin injury.
The Suns took advantage of Davis’ absence early in Game 5, repeatedly getting into the lane for shots or kickouts for open looks.
Booker was the biggest beneficiary.
He had been relatively quiet the previous two games — at least for one of the league’s top scorers — scoring a combined 36 points on 11-of-24 shooting. Phoenix’s young All-Star came out firing in the pivotal game of the series, scoring 18 points in the first quarter and hitting a corner jumper to put the Suns up 18 early in the second.
Booker (30 PTS & 7 REB) came up big in the Suns’ Game 5 win ♨️ pic.twitter.com/mVni9GaWKV
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 2, 2021
Booker wasn’t the only one dropping shots.
The Suns had their way against Los Angeles’ reach-and-swipe defense, leaving the Lakers flat-footed with their quickness and rapid ball movement.
Phoenix made eight 3-pointers, 26 of 48 shots and had one turnover to lead 66-36 at halftime. It was the Lakers’ largest halftime deficit since trailing Utah by 26 in 1998, according to SportRadar.
The Suns kept on the gas even as James became more aggressive in the third quarter, maintaining a 29-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
Paul Goes Down
Paul reinjured his shoulder midway through the third quarter when he got tangled with Lakers guard Wesley Matthews while fighting for a rebound and hit the floor. Paul pointed toward Matthews as he went off the floor and was immediately attended to by Phoenix’s trainers.
Paul got up after a minute or so and walked around, setting off a round of “MVP!” chants from the crowd. He returned to the game to hit two free throws and received a loud ovation before heading to the locker room for treatment.
Paul finished with nine points and six assists.
Tip-Ins
Lakers: Kyle Kuzma was the only other Los Angeles player to score in double figures with 15 points. … Markieff Morris, who started in place of Davis, had four points on 1-of-2 shooting.
Suns: Cam Payne gave Phoenix a nice lift, particularly after Paul went out. The backup point guard finished with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. … Mikal Bridges had a solid all-around game with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. … Booker shot 13 of 23 from the floor.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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