So much for the possibility — the wild notion, as it turned out — that the Lakers might have gained some momentum from beating the Clippers and the Toronto Raptors in consecutive games, that those wins would become a springboard toward something better. To .500, at least, for a start.
Facing what Lakers coach Darvin Ham called the Phoenix Suns’ “three-headed monster” of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant on Thursday, the Lakers once again faced the harsh reality of their injury-shortened rotation and their shortcomings.
The Suns’ 127-109 victory wasn’t a surprise so much as a return to what has become the new, bad normal for the Lakers, who again couldn’t defend three-point shots, turned the ball over way too much, and got too little support for LeBron James and Anthony Davis.