The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns in the second game of the regular season, 115-105, but the scoreline looked more respectable than it was.
After leading 26-23 through one quarter, the Lakers’ offense collapsed in the second as seemingly every play on defense was a foul for Phoenix; the calls dragged the quarter on, and frustrations mounted for L.A., especially between Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard.
Los Angeles trailed 57-44 going into halftime, and the same sluggish style continued for L.A. in the third. Phoenix went on to outscore L.A. 37-23 and increased the lead to 32 points at one point in the quarter. Everything for L.A. went wrong.
In the fourth, the Lakers brought in undrafted rookie Austin Reaves to play alongside Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Carmelo Anthony that sparked a run, but the comeback effort fell short.
Here’s how the Lakers, now 0-2, graded individually after the loss:
