Lakers clinch homecourt advantage for playoffs’ first round with win over Suns

Coach JJ Redick reemphasized on Friday night that the Lakers can’t be worried about their playoff seeding considering the circumstances they’re in.

And that the seeding considerations for the end of their season “probably went out the window” after the loss to the Thunder on April 2, in which star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves both suffered regular season-ending injuries. 

But their 101-73 win over the Suns at Crypto.com Arena not only secured homecourt advantage for the Lakers in their first-round playoff series, but also maintained the possibility of them achieving their ultimate goal of being the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. 

LeBron James once again led the Lakers, this time with 28 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in 32 minutes. 

James has 28 points (60% shooting, 46.2% on 3-pointers), 12.7 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals in the three games he’s played since the injuries to Doncic and Reaves.

“I had to tap back into a role that I’ve been accustomed to in the past, but obviously it wasn’t what it was this year,” James said. “But circumstances have put me back in there and I’m just trying to feed off my teammates, teammates are feeding off of me and just trying to make things happen for us to continue to stay afloat.”

Luke Kennard added 19 points and 3 assists, while Rui Hachimura had 13 points and Deandre Ayton finished with 10 points and 5 rebounds. 

Marcus Smart had 6 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in his first game since March 21. 

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What it means

The Lakers, who improved to a 52-29 record, can’t finish worse than No. 4 in the West after Friday’s win and the loss from the Rockets (51-30) to the Timberwolves on Friday. 

The Rockets’ loss locked them in as the fifth seed. 

If the Nuggets (53-28) beat the Spurs on Sunday, they would secure the No. 3 seed. If the Nuggets lose and the Lakers beat the Jazz on Sunday, the Lakers would finish as the third seed.

The Lakers will either host the No. 6 Timberwolves or No. 5 Rockets. 

Turning point 

When Marcus Smart, who played in his first game after three-week absence because of a right ankle contusion, made a pair of floaters to put the Lakers up 73-58 midday through the third quarter. 

MVP: LeBron James

The 41-year-old star wasn’t kidding when he was caught on camera in Dallas telling fans at American Airlines Center that he can “still do this s–t” last weekend.

James recorded his third straight points-assists double-double since the injuries to Doncic and Reaves. 

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His 22 points in the first half did not only set a tone, but were tied for the most points he scored in a half this season. 

He also scored 22 first-half points in the loss to the Mavericks on April 5. 

Stat of the game: 18

That’s how many offensive rebounds the Suns grabbed on Friday night. 

The Suns scored 27 second-chance points, one of their more significant sources of offense during a night they were without star guard Devin Booker.

The Lakers held the Suns to just five offensive boards in the second half, which helped the Lakers outscore the Suns 44-25 in the final two quarters.

Grayson Allen and Collin Gillespie didn’t play in the second half.

Up next

The Lakers will play their final regular season game on Sunday when they host the Jazz.