The Los Angeles Lakers fell 100-92 on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns, who drew 2-2 this NBA first-round series, and are in suspense due to the injury of their figure Anthony Davis.
One minute before the break, the pivot missed a basket tackle and fell into a bad position, quickly putting his hand on his left leg.
Davis did not return with the team after the break and the Lakers reported he suffered a “left groin strain.”
“It is being evaluated and we will have more information tomorrow,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said only about Davis.
The center missed half of the regular season due to various injuries and was a doubt until the last minute for this game due to a problem in his left knee.
Davis was not playing a good game and only had 6 points and 4 rebounds in 19 minutes on the court.
The Suns already led 54-50 at halftime and did not allow the Lakers to jeopardize the victory in this final game at Staples Center (Los Angeles) before the series returns to Phoenix on Tuesday.
LeBron James finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists but none of his teammates took a step forward after Davis’ injury.
The Spanish pivot Marc Gasol, with 12 points and 8 rebounds, enjoyed more minutes of play due to the absence of Davis and was the second highest scorer in Los Angeles.
For the Suns, veteran Chris Paul showed improvement from his right shoulder injury and led the offense with 18 points and 9 assists, accompanied by guard Devin Booker with 17 and 5.
“We put up a great fight to win this game,” said 36-year-old Paul. “We’re going 2-2, there’s a lot of work to do.”
– Hawks go 3-1 against Knicks –
Led by their young leader Trae Young, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the New York Knicks 113-96 and went ahead 3-1 in this Eastern Conference first-round series.
The Hawks, who were fifth in the regular season, will have their first chance to eliminate the Knicks, fourth, in the next game on Wednesday in New York.
Trae Young again led the Hawks with 27 points and 9 assists, this time accompanied by center Clint Capela, with 10 points and 15 rebounds.
“Obviously, we are excited to win the game,” Young said. “But the work is not done. It’s not done until the series ends. We have to have that same mentality, that same approach, try to go to New York and finish it there. “
At 22, the All-Star point guard is dazzling with averages of 27.5 points and 10.0 assists in his first career playoff appearance.
For the Knicks, their star Julius Randle finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds but a negative 7/19 shooting from the field, while veteran Derrick Rose had 18 points.
“We have a fifth home game to extend this series,” Randle said. “I love our possibilities. Is not over. It is by no means finished ”.
“We have to fix it and fix it quickly,” acknowledged coach Tom Thibodeau, who wants to avoid an early elimination in the franchise’s first playoffs since 2013.
Sunday’s matchday also includes matches between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, who lead the series 2-1, and between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks, who also lead 2-1.
.
