The Los Angeles Lakers were trying to streak toward the 2023 NBA playoffs in late March, but with LeBron James sidelined due to a right foot injury, they were having trouble maintaining momentum.
On March 22, they hosted the Phoenix Suns, who were without their best player, Kevin Durant, but still had Devin Booker and Chris Paul. At the time, Los Angeles was only on the edge of contention for a play-in tournament spot with just 10 games left in the regular season.
