LeBron James and resilient Lakers defeat Suns, stay in hunt for No. 3 playoff seed
LeBron James leads the Lakers to a 101-73 victory over the Phoenix Suns to keep them in contention for the No. 3 playoff seed in the Western Conference
Lakers star LeBron James is fouled as he shoots over Phoenix's Dillon Brooks (3) during the first half Friday at Crypto. com Arena. (Allen J.
Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The ball is back in LeBron James' hands, and he is thriving in his “new” role as the Lakers’ primary caretaker. James is in this position in the wake of injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. He had been the third option behind Doncic and Reaves, and he shifted back to a role he has been accustomed to playing over his 23-year career.
James has been a force over the last three games, with his latest standout performance coming Friday night in the Lakers’ 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns at Crypto. com Arena. Read more: Plaschke: Broken Lakers need to shut down the season James finished with 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds helped the Lakers secure at least the No.
4 seed in the uber-tough Western Conference. The Lakers still have a shot at the third seed if they beat the Utah Jazz at home on Sunday and if the third-place Denver Nuggets lose at San Antonio on Sunday, the final day of the regular season. Because the Lakers won the tiebreaker over the Nuggets, they would get the higher seed over Denver if the two teams finish with identical records.