The Los Angeles Lakers lost in a blowout at home to the Phoenix Suns, 108-90.
The Lakers held leads in the first half thanks to abysmal shooting from the Suns. Mikal Bridges shot 0-of-8 from the floor at one point, and the Suns were 3-of-20 from downtown as a unit but still led at the half.
It looked like the Lakers would contest and give the Suns a run for their money down the stretch, but that didn’t materialize. Instead, the Lakers reverted to their old ways and struggled mightily in the second half.
L.A. had just two assists on six field goals in the third quarter, and it didn’t help that LeBron James twisted his ankle when coming down on a layup attempt.
Despite LeBron’s 34-point effort, not enough teammates helped him on the scoring sheet.
Here is how the Lakers, now 16-16 on the season, graded individually:
Russell Westbrook: D-plus
Russell Westbrook could’ve been better. He posted 22 points on 10-of-20 shooting overall (0-of-2 3P, 2-of-4 FT), 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals, but he turned it over seven times. A few of those came at inopportune times when the Lakers were building momentum, and his jump passes when attacking the lane derailed everything.
Wayne Ellington: F
Wayne Ellington shot 1-of-4 from the field, which were all 3-point attempts. He didn’t have a notable night on defense either, so he fails this game.
Talen Horton-Tucker: F
Talen Horton-Tucker returned to the starting lineup after clearing the league’s health and safety protocol, but he didn’t impact the game in a positive way at all. Tucker logged just three points on a miserable 1-of-13 shooting night, including eight missed triples. He struggled at the point of attack on defense, so he clearly doesn’t earn a good grade from this game.
LeBron James: A-plus
LeBron was the reason this game wasn’t worse. He led all scorers with 34 points on an efficient 13-of-19 shooting night. He shot 2-of-5 (40%) from deep and made all six of his free throws to go with seven rebounds, two steals and two assists. James didn’t get any help from his teammates and still carried the load after going down with an ankle issue.
James put up a phenomenal performance considering the circumstances his team is in and the incredible defense the Suns have.
DeAndre Jordan: F
DeAndre Jordan played 15 minutes, the lowest of any starter, and logged just one point from a free throw and grabbed eight rebounds. He stood no chance against Deandre Ayton down low, who was 9-of-9 from the field at one point. Even though Dwight Howard also cleared protocol, he didn’t enter the game, so L.A. had no choice but to roll with Jordan with Anthony Davis out.
Isaiah Thomas: F
Isaiah Thomas has progressively gotten worse from each passing game. He started with 19 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 13 against the Chicago Bulls, then just three points tonight. He shot 1-of-11 from the floor, including an 0-of-6 clip from downtown. He also fouled five times, and some were unnecessary. This doesn’t bode well for his chances to stay beyond his original 10-day deal.
Rajon Rondo: F
Rajon Rondo played 23 minutes off the bench but made no notable impact. He was tied with Jordan with a minus-26 rating on the night, the worst of any player. Rondo couldn’t penetrate the paint and struggled to contain the perimeter defensively.
Trevor Ariza: A
Besides LeBron, Trevor Ariza is the only other person to receive a passing grade. In his second game back, he made all four of his shots, including three triples to finish with 12 points, five rebounds and two steals. He had some deflections and poked the ball loose when guarding guys like Devin Booker, so his two-way presence manifested on a night when no one else stepped up.
Carmelo Anthony: F
Carmelo Anthony got ejected from the game after 15 minutes. Before that, he shot 2-of-7 overall and 1-of-4 from deep for seven points. His ejection strained the lineups the Lakers could deploy, and his ability to hit threes on a night when no one could was lost.