The Suns' Devin Booker and the Lakers' LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook get sidelined as Phoenix wallops Los Angeles.
In a game void of massive amounts of star power, Chris Paul scored 28 points and dished out 8 assists as the Phoenix Suns cruised to a 130-104 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, December 19 .
Deandre Ayton had 21 points and 11 rebounds and Mikal Bridges added 20 points as the Suns won without All-Star guard Devin Booker, who was sidelined due to a groin injury one game after he scored 58 points against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Suns also were without Cameron Payne for a third consecutive game because of a right foot sprain. Ayton was back after missing two games with a left ankle sprain.
Dennis Schroder scored a season-high 30 points for the Lakers, who were playing without LeBron James and Anthony Davis . Los Angeles also was without Russell Westbrook and Austin Reaves .The Suns had a much easier time overcoming all the personnel issues, taking a 38-24 lead after one quarter and going up 68-44 at halftime after shooting 50% from the field before the break.For the game, Torrey Craig scored 17 points for the Suns, Damion Lee had 15, and Landry Shamet added 13.
The Suns sank 49.5% from the field while winning their third consecutive game following a five-game losing streak. Phoenix had a 51-38 rebounding advantage.Scotty Pippen Jr., who was just named G League Player of the Week, had 4 points in 15 minutes in his first game with the Lakers since November 7 and his third career NBA game. He is the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen.