The Phoenix Suns knock out the Los Angeles Lakers, fourth quarter
Ayton with a huuuuuge 8-footer.
LeBron defended well at the rim (whines).
Suns turnover.
Cam Johnson with a major league 3!!!
LeBron has Cam Johnson posted up … and he passes it back out. Strange.
Lakers cut it to 12 and Harlan mispronounces “Ch’King” from Burger King.
Lakers cut it to 10.
CP3 with a clutch bucket.
LeBron is realizing Father Time is undefeated. He’s giving the effort but needs a breather.
Suns 96-84 with 7 1/2 left.
CP3 from 2!!!! Suns lead by 17 with 6:42 left.
Did CP just say, “Ask about me”? Answered.
Timeout.
Back for a wide open 3 from KCP. No good.
CP3 barely missed from 3.
Looking for the dagger, CP3 misses another 3.
Suns up 15 with 5:27 left, and LeBron is back.
Talen Horton-Tucker hits a YMCA bucket, as he is wont to do.
Playoff Jae hits maybe the biggest bucket in 11 years — 104-90. Now it’s 104-93 after the German with the blond streak hits a 3 for L.A.
Booker, with 43 through three quarters, draws a big foul and heads to the line scoreless thus far in the fourth.
He hits two. Suns lead 106-93 with 3:26 left.
LeBron misses a layup, whines, sulks and the Suns run more clock. This may be … over?
Playoff Jae seals it!!!!
It’s 111-95 Suns.
And now the Lakers wanna chirp Booker for dunking? Oh, good God. Crowder can’t help himself and gets tossed.
Get this: Crowder was apparently tossed for taunting — in the form of a salsa dance, perhaps mocking LeBron’s Mountain Dew commercial! It’s important to stay up on current culture.
And… if you look closely, Chris Paul was miming LeBron’s post-up — admired and mimicked by Andre Drummond — from earlier in the series.
Lakers text friend compares Crowder’s behavior with Draymond Green. I take it as a compliment for Crowder.
That was fun.
The Suns take out the Lakers 113-100.
“I’ve been working my whole life for this moment,” Booker, who finished with 47, tells TNT. “I wanted to put it on full display tonight.”
Chris Paul, talking to Bally’s Sports AZ about the physical challenges during this series: “MRIs left and right. Bunch of treatment. It’s the hardest part not being able to be me.”
But, yeah, the Lakers would have won with A.D., right? Please.
It’s on to the conference semifinal series against the presumptive NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
“First series win for Coach,” Paul said. “We gonna keep rolling.”
Game 1, Monday night in Phoenix.
Ready?