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LeBron James contributed 23 points and nine
assists for the Lakers, who held off a late Suns rally to
rebound from a 99-90 defeat in Game 1. Los Angeles' Dennis
Schroder added 24 points, and Andre Drummond had 15 points and
12 rebounds.
Devin Booker scored 31 points for the Suns, and Deandre Ayton
had 22 points and 10 rebounds. Both players made their playoff
debut in Game 1.
Chris Paul scored six points on 2-of-5 shooting from the field
for Phoenix while appearing to favor a right shoulder injury
that occurred in Sunday's opener. Paul played 23 minutes, while
Cameron Payne played 33 minutes of point guard off the bench and
racked up 19 points and a team-high seven assists.
Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Thursday in
Los Angeles.
The Lakers' answer in Game 2 was reminiscent of the first round
of the 2020 playoffs, when Los Angeles scored fewer than 100
points in a playoff-opening loss to the Portland Trail Blazers
and then won Game 2. The Lakers did not lose another game in
that first round and went on to win the title.
After starting slowly in Game 1, the Lakers came out with a more
determined pace Tuesday and took a 53-47 lead into halftime. The
Lakers shot just 42.6 percent in the first half but took 14 more
shots than the Suns thanks in part to a 8-1 advantage on
offensive rebounds.
The Lakers took a 79-72 lead into the fourth quarter before the
Suns made their move. Phoenix went on a 13-5 run midway through
the period to move on top 88-86 with 6:14 remaining. It was
their first lead since 10-8 in the opening quarter.
Leading 93-92 with 3:40 to play, the Lakers committed a
shot-clock violation but regrouped on defense and turned their
opportunities into offense, scoring the next seven points. Five
of those came from Davis, and Los Angeles led 100-92 with two
minutes remaining.
James sealed the victory by sinking a 3-pointer with 49.8
seconds remaining to give the Lakers a 103-94 advantage.
--Field Level Media
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