Phoenix Suns 115-105 LA Lakers: 5 talking points as Chris Paul’s double-double sinks LeBron James and co. | 2021-22 NBA season

#3 The Howard-Davis dust-up

Anthony Davis #3 and Dwight Howard #39 of the Los Angeles Lakers double team Deandre Ayton #22 of the Phoenix Suns

The contest between the Phoenix Suns and the LA Lakers saw a few incidents occur on the court.

Frank Vogel and Kent Bazemore picked up technical fouls during the game. A fan was also escorted out of the arena in the third quarter for taking a swipe at Rajon Rondo. Meanwhile, JaVale McGee and Carmelo Anthony got into a bit of banter towards the end of that same period.

However, the biggest ruckus was created by a dust-up between LA Lakers teammates Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis. The quarrel between the two happened during a Lakers timeout late in the second period.

Davis went up to say something to Howard, but the veteran center appeared to take offense to what he said. The two players had to be separated by other members of the LA Lakers roster.

The internet was abuzz with questions regarding the cause of the beef between the two players. Some even joked that Howard must have gotten upset by the fact that Davis made it to the NBA’s top-75 list ahead of him.

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#4 Phoenix Suns simply dominated the paint

The Phoenix Suns outscored the LA Lakers 52-26 in the paint. This was due to the Suns' ease of scoring in the restricted area (24-of-43 overall, 55.8%) and the Lakers inability to finish easy opportunities at the other end (13-of-36 overall, 36%).

However, the difference in scoring in the paint is also an indicator of how much better the LA Lakers need to be in protecting the rim.

Mikal Bridges (5-of-7 in the paint) and Devin Booker (6-of-9 in the paint) of the Phoenix Suns did the bulk of their scoring in the rectangular box. This proves that when one team’s defensive intensity is down, you don’t only need big men to do the damage inside the paint.

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#5 Anthony Davis needs to play better for the LA Lakers

His altercation with Dwight Howard aside, this was a frustrating night for Anthony Davis.

Although he finished with 22 points and 14 boards against the Phoenix Suns, Davis was worse than Westbrook as far as his shooting efficiency was concerned. He was 6-of-18 (33.3%) from the floor and was just 4-of-13 (30.8%) inside the paint, an area which he should absolutely dominate.

After tallying 33 points on 15-of-26 shooting and 11 rebounds against the Warriors on opening night, this is exactly the kind of inconsistency that draws the ire of Davis’ detractors.

The power forward simply cannot afford to let up as the LA Lakers hope to pick up their record-setting 18th NBA championship in 2021-22.