Anthony Davis had 27 points and 15 rebounds and Austin
Reaves scored 20 for the top-seeded Lakers, who will face New Orleans on
Thursday in Las Vegas. Milwaukee plays Indiana in the East semifinal.
“You’ve got some of the most alpha male competitors in the
world, and if you give us an opportunity to play for something meaningful or an
incentive, then you get what you’re getting,” said James, who also racked up 11
assists, eight rebounds and five steals. “The In-Season Tournament is what it
is, and we have an opportunity to play on a big stage, be on national
television, represent our families, our communities, where we come from.”
James put on a masterful shooting performance down the
stretch, scoring 15 of the Lakers’ first 19 points in the final period and
getting the assists on his teammates’ other two baskets as Los Angeles pulled
ahead.
Kevin Durant scored 31 points, but he badly missed a long
3-point attempt at the buzzer for the Suns. Phoenix had won eight of 10 before
losing to Los Angeles for the third time already this season.
Devin Booker cut the Lakers’ lead to 102-101 on a layup with
29 seconds to play, but Reaves drilled his third 3-pointer with 15 seconds
left.
After Durant made another layup moments later, the Suns were
left furious when officials granted James’ request for a timeout while the ball
appeared to be loose because Booker had knocked it away from Reaves an instant
earlier.
“It’s a loose ball, and you can’t call a timeout on a loose
ball,” Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said. “The whistle blows. I don’t know why.
Everything in the league is reviewable. I don’t know why that can’t be
reviewable. … We got the trap, we got the turnover, (and the) damn whistle
blows. It’s just frustrating.”
Reaves said he thought Booker probably fouled him an instant
before the timeout was granted.
“There was no call, and LeBron made a high-IQ play he’s made
a million times,” Reaves said.
Durant didn’t share his coach’s anger about the call, saying
he didn’t initially believe the ball was loose when the timeout was granted.
“That’s not the ballgame,” Durant said. “That’s one play.
It’s a 48-minute game. I don’t like to complain about calls. Sometimes the ref
ain’t going to get it right all the time. Sometimes it’s on us to play through
all that stuff and not worry about putting the game in the ref’s hands.”
Davis was eventually fouled, but he missed one of two free
throws to open the door for Durant’s potential tying 30-footer.
Booker and Grayson Allen scored 21 points apiece for
Phoenix.
The Lakers earned the top seed in the West by going unbeaten
in the group stage of the inaugural tournament, including a win Nov. 10 in
Phoenix. The Suns rebounded from that setback to earn a wild-card spot in the
knockout round.
While fans are still debating the merits of the In-Season
Tournament, both Vogel and Lakers coach Darvin Ham said their players are
getting into the spirit of the event, particularly with the motivation to earn
financial bonuses for their teams’ support personnel and younger players.
“They’re well aware of that bag,” Ham said with a grin.
“Money speaks, man.”
Bradley Beal missed his 11th straight game with a persistent
back injury for the Suns, who hung in despite committing 22 turnovers while
their two healthy superstars struggled with foul trouble. Booker picked up his
fifth foul early in the fourth quarter, while Durant entered the final period
with four fouls and committed his fifth with 3:18 to play.
Phoenix committed 10 turnovers in the first quarter alone,
the most by any team in the league this season. The Suns trailed by 15 in the
first half, but scored 14 consecutive points out of halftime to take a lead.
“We didn’t do enough early in the game,” Vogel said. “The
turnovers and on the glass, if we do a better job, we’re not talking about a
close game like that.”
UP NEXT
Suns: Host the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
Lakers: Face the Pelicans at Las Vegas in Thursday’s
tournament semifinals. AP