LOS ANGELES_Facing a respite in their schedule with the six-win Phoenix Suns coming to town, the Los Angeles Lakers couldn't capitalize.
The Suns beat the Lakers 119-115, handing the Lakers their fifth consecutive loss, and keeping them winless in December.
The loss dropped the Lakers to 10-15 while the Suns improved to 7-16.
Late, the game was close.
After the Suns' Leandro Barbosa missed a shot with 2:03 left in the game, Lakers forward Julius Randle took the rebound on a fast break and delivered a thundering dunk through traffic to bring the Lakers within five again. On the Lakers next possession, Randle nearly lost the ball but fought to keep it and got the ball to rookie forward Brandon Ingram.
Ingram made both free throws bringing the Lakers to within three.
Down three, the Staples Center crowd stood up to chant "de-fense" in unison. They didn't get the stop they wanted. At the other end of the court, Randle fouled suns guard Eric Bledsoe, deflating the building. Bledsoe made both free throws to give the Suns a five-point lead.
A Suns shot clock violation with 26 seconds remaining in the game, gave the Lakers some hope despite being down five. Ingram hit a corner three-pointer with 17 seconds left to bring the Lakers within two points. But Eric Bledsoe's two free throws gave the Suns a four-point lead that all but sealed the game.
Lou Williams led the Lakers with 35 points, marking the third time this season and the third time in four games he scored at least 35 points. The Lakers have relied on Williams' offense to carry them as they've worked to get past the losses of two of their best scorers.
Starting point guard D'Angelo Russell and starting shooting guard Nick Young both remain out with injuries.
After each electrifying offensive play, perhaps a three-pointer by Williams, or a dunk by Larry Nance Jr., the fans at Staples Center implored their team with chants of "de-fense." Most often, the Suns scored easily.
The Lakers allowed the Suns a season-high 62 points in the first half. Phoenix closed the second quarter with a 10-2 run to take a 10 point lead into halftime.
By the start of the fourth quarter, the Suns had 89 points.
Although his coaching pedigree came from the fast-paced, high scoring Golden State Warriors, defense was the first thing Lakers Coach Luke Walton asked his team to master. The first few days of training camp were all about defense. After them, Walton said he wanted his team to be strong defensively, and believed they could do it.
They aren't there yet. Most every step forward offensively was met by step backward defensively.
In the fourth quarter, Williams orchestrated a backward four-point play. He made a first free throw, missed the second, then got the ball back after Thomas Robinson rebounded the miss. Williams' three-pointer from in front of the Lakers bench brought the Lakers within five points in the fourth quarter.
Defensive breakdowns by the Lakers, though, allowed the Suns to keep stretching their lead.
"The good defensive teams, they enjoy getting stops," Walton said, when asked if having a defensive mindset is difficult. "They enjoy the process of watching other teams struggle. Get good looks. Watch the other team kind of start to bicker with each other. On bad defensive teams, it's definitely a struggle yes."
Adjusting that mentality, he said, just takes time. Until it does, the Lakers will continue to pay for it.
