Jaxson Hayes grabbed a rebound late in the second quarter and passed the ball to Luka Doncicwho promptly threw a bad pass for a turnover. A few seconds later, Doncic grabbed a rebound and lost the ball for another turnover. Then he threw another pass. A minute later, he does it again.
Over a span of about two minutes in the second quarter, Doncic turned the ball over four times.
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It was that kind of night for Doncic and the Lakers. Their inability to take care of the basketball doomed them in a way 125-108 defeat at the Phoenix Suns Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The Lakers had 22 turnovers and Doncic had nine.
Learn more: Lakers’ seven-game winning streak broken by blowout loss to Phoenix Suns
“Yeah, it was my fault. I can’t have nine turnovers in the game,” said Doncic, who also had 38 points and 11 rebounds. “So in that second quarter…they’re giving away the shots, (so) instead of shooting the ball, I feel like I’m trying to get (everyone) involved. But I shouldn’t have nine turnovers.”
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Austin Reaves It was almost as bad, flipping it five times.
“I literally dribbled the ball out of bounds once,” said Reaves, who had 16 points. “I’ve done it before. I did it tonight and at some point I’ll probably do it again. … I was bad at that aspect, so I have to be better.”
LeBron Jameswho extended his regular-season double-digit scoring streak to 1,297 games, made three turnovers as the Lakers’ Big Three combined for 17.
Coming into the game, the Suns were averaging an NBA-high 10.6 steals per game, and the Lakers knew it.
“Turnovers, turnovers (and) transition points,” James said of what went wrong for the Lakers. “And obviously, on our court and against a disruptive defense like that, you can’t turn the ball over as much. And they were pretty much all pick sixes. They didn’t just turn it over to us, they were able to convert.”
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The Lakers hit the road
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes battles Suns forward Oso Ighodaro for the ball during the Lakers’ loss Monday. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers now have to put on a show on the road, playing three games in four nights on the East Coast against opponents all above .500.
They open Thursday night against the 14-7 Toronto Raptors, then face the 11-9 Boston Celtics on Friday before finishing the trip Sunday against the 10-9 Philadelphia 76ers.
“Well, the road trip should always refocus you, no matter how you play,” James said. “So I don’t think it took this game tonight for us to refocus.”
The Raptors have lost two games in a row, but they are 8-2 in their last 10 games.
“I don’t watch the NBA too much, sorry,” Doncic said when asked to share his thoughts on the Raptors. “I know they have a good record. I love the coach (Darko Rajakovic). … I know he makes them play physical, so we’ll see.”
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The Lakers will also see if James plays back-to-back games.
He did not play against the Pelicans on Sunday night in the first game of a back-to-back.
Since the Lakers ruled James out of dealing with left foot injuries, he was asked if it was anything new for this season after he missed the first 14 games with sciatica.
“Yeah, it’s called old,” said James, who turns 41 this month.
Bad defense
Lakers coach JJ Redick watches the Lakers take on the Suns on Monday. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers had a defensive plan in place, but it didn’t work.
They allowed the Suns to shoot 57% from the field and 44% from three-point range.
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Collin Gillespie, a known three-point shooter, made eight of 14 three-pointers to reach 28 points. Royce O’Neale made two three-pointers.
“I don’t remember ever talking about going under (screens) against lasers (three-pointers), and Gillespie was making threes and Royce O’Neale was making threes, falling down,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I don’t know, I don’t know. It’s kind of a strange thing.”
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This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
