The Lakers’ most glaring weakness became their top strength on Monday.
Los Angeles entered the game as the NBA’s worst 3-point shooting team, but left
with a season-high 14 triples from seven different players and a 100-93 win over
Phoenix.
It all began with the red-hot play of sixth man Jordan Clarkson, who continued
to thrive in his role off the bench.
The 25-year-old poured in a season-high 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and
collected his buckets by a variety of means.
He thrived in pick-and-rolls (particularly with Julius Randle) and seemingly
always knew when to slash in for a layup (five times) or pull up for a jumper
(three).
He also directly contributed to the Lakers’ fiery night from outside, hitting
three 3-pointers and assisting on two more.
“JC came off the bench firing and did a great job for us,” said Kyle Kuzma, who
also hit three triples. “If we didn’t have him scoring the way he did and
playing, we probably wouldn’t have won this game.”
JC goes up with the right hand but finishes with the left #LakeShow (:
@SpectrumSN & @spectdeportes) pic.twitter.com/zN4Z5HHOUm
Clarkson was especially hot in the second quarter, scoring 12 straight points
for the Lakers (6-8) during a six-minute stretch.
But the Suns (5-10) wouldn’t roll over, with Devin Booker and T.J. Warren
leading the way.
The Lakers’ sixth-ranked defense held Phoenix to 38.9 percent shooting, but
Booker put on an across-the-floor shooting clinic toward 36 points and Warren
added 23 with his usual diet of layups and mid-range shots.
“That team scores a lot of points, and they’re talented, man,” coach Luke Walton
said. “They’ve got some young men there that can really get going. Our guys
fought, fought, fought, made them take tough shots.”
Booker and Warren kept their team in the game, as the Lakers led by only two
with less than six minutes remaining. But then L.A.’s shooting ignited.
Kuzma and Corey Brewer spotted up for back-to-back 3-pointers. Booker answered
with a trey of his own before Kuzma made the Suns pay for lax pick-and-roll
defense by pulling up for another triple.
Minutes later, Clarkson pushed the lead to 10 on an isolation layup, silencing
the Suns’ hope of a comeback.
Clarkson — who was also turnover-free — played the entire fourth quarter at
point guard. Starter Lonzo Ball (seven points, five rebounds, five assists)
showed no issue with Walton’s decision as he sat the final period.
“JC was hot,” Ball said. “I would’ve rolled with him, too.”
Brook Lopez also had his moments, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds after
shooting five-of-five inside the arc, including a trio of hook shots.
While Lopez provided the damage inside, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope spearheaded the
perimeter attack. He shot just 5-of-15 from the field, but provided valuable
spacing by hitting 4-of-9 3’s. KCP also grabbed nine rebounds and recorded an
absurd nine deflections with his renowned off-ball defense.
The result was a much-needed win for the Lakers, who had dropped each of their
previous games on the current road trip to a trio of Eastern Conference
contenders: Washington, Boston and Milwaukee.
Instead of returning to Los Angeles empty-handed, they grabbed a needed win
ahead of a four-game home stand.
“We had three tough games before this,” Clarkson said, “but it’s a nice win and
gives us a boost going into this home stretch.”
Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers in scoring with 25 points in tonight’s win over
Phoenix #LakersWin pic.twitter.com/MxWfv8uECo
Notes Brewer scored 13 points (his most as a Laker), including seven in the
fourth quarter. … The Lakers committed 14 turnovers in the first three
quarters, but only two in the fourth. … L.A. won despite attempting only 13
free throws, making eight. … A crowd of 17,533 was in attendance at Talking
Stick Resort Arena.
PHX
A post shared by Los Angeles Lakers (@lakers) on Nov 13, 2017 at 6:00pm PST
Player: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Player: Jordan Clarkson
Player: Kyle Kuzma
Player: Brook Lopez
Media Content: http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/171113-postgame-wrap-lakers-suns
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Los Angeles Lakers, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope,
Jordan Clarkson, Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez, Luke Walton, Los Angeles Lakers,
Phoenix Suns
Media Thumbnail:
http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/lakers/sites/default/files/171113-jc.jpg
Taxonomy: Postgame Wrap
Story Link: http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/171113-postgame-wrap-lakers-suns
