Anthony Davis was absent in Game 5 vs. Phoenix, and it really hurt them. The LA Lakers found themselves down by a whopping 30 points at halftime, and the differential stayed put during the thrashing that gave the Suns a 3-2 series lead. LeBron James had never lost two first-round playoff games in a row until tonight, and will now have to win two to advance. Devin Booker led all scorers with 30 points on 56.5% shooting as the Suns are now just a game away from handing the great King James his first loss in the first round (currently 14-0).
LOS ANGELES LAKERS ARE A BORDERLINE PLAYOFF TEAM IN THE WEST WITHOUT AD
COLORS KEY | FULL LAKERS OUTLOOK
Without AD this year, the Lakers are 16-3 versus non-playoff teams, but only 3-15 versus ones that are in the postseason. This shows that without him in the lineup, they struggle to get the job done against better teams, and that they look like a borderline playoff team without him. It was obviously going to be hard not having him, but losing by 30 in a pivotal game tells the whole story. If Davis doesn’t make his way back into the lineup next game, their hopes of repeating as champions are significantly reduced even if LeBron James is the King of winning 1st round series. This one is clearly unlike the rest.
30 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST for @DevinBook, helping the @Suns go up 3-2! #WeAreTheValley #NBAPlayoffs
Game 6: Thursday at 10:30pm/et on TNT pic.twitter.com/2dZpe1WFGP
— NBA (@NBA) June 2, 2021
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