Lakers, LeBron James best Suns to clinch home court advantage
LeBron James continued his brilliance with another vintage performance for L.A. to clinch home court.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt (2) dunks the basketball during an NBA game against the Phoenix Suns on April 10, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. LOS ANGELES — After three straight losses to start April and the confidence surrounding the Lakers' shot with their star backcourt down, Los Angeles has turned their momentum around behind 41-year-old LeBron James. James flirted with another triple-double, posting 28 points, six rebounds and 12 assists in the Lakers' 101-73 win over the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
“I had to tap back into a role that I was accustomed to in the past," James said. "I’m just trying to feed off my teammates. " The win, along with a Rockets loss to the Timberwolves, secured home-court advantage for the Lakers in the first round of the postseason.
The Lakers' 73 points allowed to the Suns were the least amount of points they have given up all year. “I thought the whole game our defense was really physical; outside of a couple mishaps, I thought we talked pregame a lot about just being able to execute our coverages," Coach JJ Redick said. "I think our guys did a great job of that and they did it with physicality.
” The Suns' highest scorer was 12 points, which was Dillon Brooks, who was booed on every possession and play he was involved in. Luke Kennard continued anchoring down as the Lakers' point guard with 19 points, while Marcus Smart had six points, five rebounds and seven assists in his return from a nine-game absence. WHERE THEY STAND The Lakers push to 52-29 and remain No.