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In their first visit to the playoffs since
2010, the No. 2-seeded Suns moved on to face the No. 3-seed
Denver Nuggets.
Booker made a career-best eight 3-pointers on 10 attempts and
secured 11 rebounds. Jae Crowder added 18 points for Phoenix,
and Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson scored 10 each as the Suns
won the final three games of the series, two of which were in
Los Angeles.
LeBron James scored 29 points for the No. 7 seed Lakers, but
tag-team partner Anthony Davis lasted just 5 minutes, 25 seconds
while trying to play through a left groin strain that kept him
out of Game 5.
James lost a first-round playoff series for the first time in
his career.
It was a series defined by injuries as the Lakers also saw guard
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope slowed with a left knee contusion and
James playing after a high ankle sprain wiped out 26 of 28 games
late in the season.
Suns guard Chris Paul played the series after he injured his
right shoulder in Game 1. He tallied eight points and 12 assists
in Game 6. Paul averaged 9.2 points in the series after scoring
16.4 points in the regular season. Booker scored 29.7 per game
in the series.
The Suns took control early, leading 21-10 after seven minutes
on a 3-pointer by Booker. Davis was out of the game by then,
removed with 6:35 left in the first period after aggravating his
injury while trying to stay with Booker defensively.
Phoenix pushed the advantage to 36-14 by the end of the first
quarter after Booker scored 22 points, was 8 of 9 from the field
and 6 of 6 from 3-point range. The Suns shot 68.4 percent in the
opening 12 minutes.
Phoenix led by as many as 29 in the second quarter and 62-41 at
halftime before the Lakers cut the deficit to 89-76 by the end
of the third.
The Lakers cut the deficit to 10 points, 94-84, with 8:06 to
play but could not get any closer. Dennis Schroder scored 20
points and Caldwell-Pope 19 for the Lakers.
Crowder was ejected late in the game after a confrontation near
the Lakers' bench.
--Field Level Media
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