There was no love lost during the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns in their first-round series in the 2021 NBA playoffs as things got chippy almost immediately in Game 1.
The two franchises have had several playoff battles between them and even with a new cast of players the tension between them was palpable. The upstart Suns were eager to prove they were better than a Lakers squad that was the odds-on favorite to win the series and they accomplished that albeit with some injury luck.
Los Angeles was without Anthony Davis due to a knee and groin injury, while players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso were forced to miss games.