"Time to accept Reaves as bench player" - Lakers losing to Suns has NBA fans calling out LeBron James' star-studded lineup

LeBron James played well for the LA Lakers on Sunday but could not drag his team past the Phoenix Suns. The four-time MVP, who has been dealing with a foot injury, played 37 minutes and finished with 28 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. After trailing for as many as 20 points, he rallied his team late in the third quarter but could not carry the Lakers over the hump in the fourth period.

The loss dropped LA’s record to 31-28 for a tie with the Golden State Warriors for the 10th spot in the Western Conference. James and his teammates have struggled after the All-Star break, going 1-2 since the NBA returned to action. Only a closely-fought 123-118 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday prevented a 0-3 stretch.

Basketball fans reacted to the Lakers’ loss to the Suns on X (formerly Twitter):

“AD looked old. He picked up the pace in the 4th but still seemed overmatched. How, in a game where Phoenix plays both centers a healthy amount of minutes, do we only give Jaxson Hayes only 6? Time to accept Reaves as a bench player and end the hype. Phoenix exploited him.”

The LA Lakers had a back-to-back set after the All-Star break. They lost to the Golden State Warriors 128-110 on Thursday before eking out a win versus the Spurs. The consecutive games may have promptly taken a toll on the Lakers as they were lethargic in the first quarter against the Suns on Sunday.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis look gassed to open the game in Phoenix. Even without Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant having an off night, the Suns raced to an early 38-18 first-quarter lead. Phoenix closed out the first 12 minutes of the game with a 45-28 advantage.

The Lakers put up a better fight in the second and third quarters to cut the host team’s lead to 92-90 late in the third frame. It was the closest they could come as the Suns responded with a 6-0 run and never looked back.

Austin Reaves hasn’t been shooting well since the All-Star break. He was 5-for-12, including 2-for-7 from deep against the Suns. On a night when LeBron James could have used some help from him in scoring, the shooting guard couldn’t deliver.

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LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ lackluster effort on defense allowed Suns to pull away in the fourth quarter

The second and third-quarter push that nearly tied the game left the LA Lakers gasping for air. Late in the fourth quarter, LeBron James and Anthony Davis failed to return to the Phoenix Suns’ end of the court to play defense. In back-to-back possessions, Royce O’Neale punished the Lakers for playing 5-on-4 defense.

Davis was the first culprit when he jogged back on defense. O’Neale had all day to shoot as the Lakers lacked defenders. James repeated AD’s mistake by not helping on defense in the next possession. He was left under LA’s basket complaining of a non-call while the Suns rushed to the other side.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis were frustrated and showed lackluster defensive effort. It led to two 3-pointers from Royce O’Neale and one from Grayson Allen that killed LA's chance of winning the game.