PHOENIX – The Lakers opened the game either bobbling the ball or clanking shots off the rim on nearly every possession. They ended the first half with allowing Phoenix to throw both an alley-oop lob and a bank shot from halfcourt. Then, the Lakers spent the rest of evening doing little to fix the damage.
The Lakers did not exactly conclude huddles with chants of “1, 2, 3, Cancun” as they once did before facing elimination in the 1998 NBA playoffs. But the Lakers still played in their 137-101 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday as if the week-long All-Star break started early.