Bankrupt at the beginning!
The Los Angeles Lakers conceded a 90-99 defeat at the start of the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns. The team of superstar LeBron James and the German Dennis Schröder falls 0: 1 behind in the best-of-7 series. For the Suns it was the first win in a playoff game in eleven years.
Devin Booker excelled in the winner with 34 points. He set a new franchise record with it. No Suns player had scored as many points on his playoff debut. Deandre Ayton also had 21 points. At the Lakers, LeBron had 18 points and 10 assists. Schröder was the second best thrower of the California team with 14 points. (Schedule for the 2020/21 NBA season)
Phoenix star Chris Paul caused a stir with a foul on James – which aroused the ire of Lakers coach Frank Vogel.
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Lakers coach upset over foul by Chris Paul on LeBron James
After a free throw from James in the fourth quarter, Paul pulled him by the shoulder in the fight for the rebound and caused a hard impact from “King James” – and subsequent pack formation.
After a tussle between Laker Alex Caruso and Cameron Payne of the Suns, in which Montrezl Harrell also got involved, Payne had to leave the field prematurely with his second technical foul.
Vogel spoke of an “overly aggressive” and “dangerous” action by Paul, while Paul denied any guilt: “I have nothing to say about it. We just play basketball and compete.” James didn’t want to comment on the vortex either – he just made it clear that he wasn’t seriously injured and was “ready for game 2”.
Davis: “It was my fault”
Anthony Davis only got 13 points for the champions. After the game, he took responsibility for the defeat. “There is no way we can win a game, let alone a series, if I play the way I do today. It was my fault,” he said self-critically.
The Suns convinced, although Paul was not playing to the fullest extent possible. He had fallen on his shoulder himself in the first half, but held out with a twisted expression on his face.
By the end of the first quarter, the Suns were able to break away and take a 32:25 lead. The hosts from Phoenix then went into the half-time break with a ten-point lead. They did not allow themselves to be taken away from this leadership until the end. Game two takes place on Wednesday night (CET).
In the second duel of the night, the Atlanta Hawks prevailed wafer-thinly with 107: 105 against the New York Knicks. The man of the game was Trae Young. Not only did he score 32 points, it was his throw that made the decision for Atlanta 0.9 seconds before the end.
The Utah Jazz also suffered a defeat at the beginning. The top seed of the Western Conference was defeated by the Memphis Grizzlies with 109: 112. Dillon Brooks contributed 31 points for Memphis.
