BBNBA: Anthony Davis sits as Suns blow out Lakers in Game 5

On3 imageby:Wynn McDonald06/02/21

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Photo: Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images

How swiftly the tide of a series can turn with an injury. With Anthony Davis in street clothes, the Los Angeles Lakers were run out of the building on Tuesday by Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns. Meanwhile, the Nets had little trouble closing out the Celtics while Portland and Denver gave us a double-OT thriller. Let’s discuss.

RECAP

Booker’s 30 leads the way in rout, Suns grab 3-2 lead

Just a few days ago, the Lakers held a 2-1 advantage in the first round as they looked to defend their 2020 title. Then Anthony Davis went down in Game 4 — an eight-point Phoenix win — and the series momentum completely shifted. The result was an absolute curb-stomping on Tuesday, as the Suns led by as much as 36 on the way to an easy 115-85 victory, pushing LeBron James & co. to the edge of elimination with a 3-2 deficit.

Devin Booker was the unquestioned star of the night, as his 22 first-half points helped the Suns run out to a 30-point advantage early, effectively ending the game before halftime. He was hitting everything out of the gate, nailing seven of 10 shots (2-2 from deep) for 18 points in the first quarter alone. D-Book was feeling himself, and he let everyone know.

His hand was so hot, he even made shots while falling on his face:

The second half was essentially a formality, as most of the Suns starters sat the fourth quarter. Booker finished with 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes, and Chris Paul scored just nine points in 22 minutes while dealing with his nagging shoulder injury. LeBron led the Lakers with 24 and seven assists as Davis watched helplessly from the bench. The 36-year-old star left the sideline with over five minutes remaining to start his postgame treatments early, according to coach Frank Vogel.

The Suns reclaimed the lead in the series with the victory, and they’ll have a chance to salt it away in Game 6 on Thursday. Davis is listed as questionable to play, so it’s unlikely L.A. will be able to count on the Brow saving their season just yet. If the Suns win, they’ll move on to face the Blazers-Nuggets winner next week.

Nuggets overcome Dame’s 55, claim 3-2 lead in double OT thriller

What suspense was lacking in the Lakers game was made up tenfold in the last game of the night, a Game 5 war between Denver and Portland to take the series lead. After falling behind by 22 early, the Blazers executed a huge comeback and rode it all the way to double overtime, where they finally ran out of gas in a wild 147-140 loss.

The story of the night was Damian Lillard, who broke Klay Thompson’s single-game playoff record with 12 three-pointers en route to a playoff career-high 55 points. He was splashing step-back treys left and right, including a series of ridiculous clutch shots to force both overtimes:

However, in the end it wasn’t quite enough to overcome the high-powered Denver offense. Nikola Jokic had a near triple-double with 38, 11 and nine, Michael Porter Jr. had 26 and 10, and Monte Morris scored 28 filling in at point for the injured Jamal Murray. Porter’s last three put the Nuggets up three with a minute and a half remaining in 2OT, a lead they would hold till the end. Portland made several key mistakes at the end that cost them the game, including a missed dunk and an out-of-bounds turnover with 10 seconds remaining.

Enes Kanter scored four points in limited minutes off the bench once again, as the Trail Blazers opted to go small-ball for much of the night to push the pace.

With the win, Denver grabbed a 3-2 advantage in the series ahead of Game 6 in Portland. That game will be on Thursday as well, and you better believe I’ll have my popcorn ready.

Nets close out Celtics, win series 4-1

The Nets weren’t quite as dominant offensively yesterday as they were in Game 4, but it was still enough to end the Boston Celtics’ season. James Harden dropped a triple-double with 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, Kyrie Irving scored 25 and Kevin Durant added 24 as Brooklyn cruised to a 123-109 win at home, putting the final touches on a series victory.

Boston got 32 points from Jayson Tatum, but with Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker still out, they simply didn’t have the depth to keep up with the star-studded Nets. They hung around until the fourth quarter in this one before falling behind by double-digits.

The second-seeded Nets will advance to play three-seed Milwaukee in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, starting at 7:30 Saturday night.

STATISTICS

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TODAY IN THE NBA

7:00 (NBA TV): #8 Wizards @ #1 76ers (Maxey) – PHI leads 3-1

7:30 (TNT): #5 Hawks @ #4 Knicks (Randle, Noel, Quickley, Knox) – ATL leads 3-1

9:30 (NBA TV): #8 Grizzlies @ #1 Jazz – UTA leads 3-1

10:00 (TNT): #5 Mavericks (WCS) @ #4 Clippers (Rondo, Cousins, Patterson) – tied 2-2

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