Published May 24, 2021, 8:24 AM
Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns drives to the basket during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during Round 1, Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs on May 23, 2021 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Barry Gossage / NBAE / Getty Images / Getty Images via AFP)
Devin Booker scored 34 points as the second-seeded Phoenix Suns outplayed the Los Angeles Lakers in their Western Conference playoff series opener with a hardfought 99-90 victory on Sunday.
Booker playing in the first NBA playoff game of his career spearheaded a deserved win over the reigning NBA champions, rallying his team after an injury to Chris Paul restricted the Phoenix veteran’s influence.
Game Recap: Suns 99, Lakers 90
Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton dominate as the Suns cruise past the Lakers in Game 1.
Having witnessed another untimely and unfortunate body failure, we can only conclude the Basketball Gods have beef with the Point God.
Chris Paul is perhaps the finest court general of this generation, and certainly the unluckiest, too, when it comes to injuries. The stinging pain he felt in his right shoulder Sunday in the Suns’ playoff opener was slightly more agonizing than the angst that anyone with a compassionate heart felt for him.
Yes, injuries are part of the game, but just as well, part of Paul’s legacy, which will someday come to a rest at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. When he dropped to the floor in the second quarter of Game 1, the crowd noise inside Talking Stick Resort Arena suddenly was reduced to a simmer. Head covered by a towel, and then the comforting right arm of LeBron James, Paul walked off the floor … and then returne
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After defeating the Golden State Warriors 103-100 in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament, the Los Angeles Lakers are officially the seventh seed in the Western Conference. As such the team will face the second-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
The first game of the series will take place in Phoenix at the Talking Stick Resort Arena on Sunday, May 23 at 12:30 p.m. PT. The second game will also be in Phoenix just two days later on Tuesday, May 25 at 7 p.m. PT.
The series will then shift to Los Angeles for Games 3 and 4 at Staples Center. The first of which will take place on Thursday, May 27 at 7 p.m. PT with Game 4 then happening on Sunday, May 30 at 12:30 p.m. PT. Should the series continue beyond that, Game 5 will be in Phoenix on Tuesday, June 1, Game 6 will be Thursday, June 3 in Los Angeles and a Game 7 would take place on Saturday, June 5 in Phoenix.
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams was named coach of the year by the National Basketball Coaches Association on Tuesday after leading the team back to the playoffs after an 11-year absence.
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