PHOENIX — So the Phoenix Suns are supposed to fear this?
That's been the prevailing logic, the reason to keep trudging through the final month of the NBA schedule with a team that's this badly flawed. The Lakers last year, remember, had a 2-1 lead in the first round of the playoffs before Anthony Davis got injured.
Before the game Sunday night in Phoenix, the team got news that should've enhanced their beliefs. Davis, their star big man who has been out since right before the All-Star break, will begin on-court activities Monday, putting him on track for a pre-postseason return.
Yet the line between hope and delusion is thin and the first quarter Sunday night made it clear what side the Lakers' postseason beliefs land on.
The Suns scored 48 points in the first quarter, a reminder of which team is at the top of the league standings and which one is left to hope that things will get better.
After embarrassing the Lakers in the first 12 minutes, Phoenix dominated for the rest of the night, easily beating the Lakers 140-111 — a possible playoff preview should the Lakers win their way into the postseason via the play-in tournament.
The Lakers allowed the Suns to shoot 20 of 33 from the field, so many of the shots coming uncontested either at the rim following a turnover or at the three-point line after a botched coverage.
The Lakers, who actually opened the game leading 6-2, went ice cold, struggling to find any signs of success on either side of the ball.
While James would heat up to score 31 points, it didn't come close to mattering — the team never getting close after the miserable start. James spent the fourth quarter on the bench with a game against Toronto on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The loss spoiled another historic achievement for James. With his second assist of the game, a pass to an open Carmelo Anthony, he became the lone NBA player ever to have at least 10,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists in his career.
Davis might've added some fuel to the matchup pregame, speaking for the first time since he suffered a nasty mid-foot injury on Feb. 16 against the Utah Jazz. Asked about the Lakers' 2-1 lead in the playoffs last year and how his groin injury impacted the rest of the series, Davis didn't hesitate in saying the series was the Lakers to win.
"It was. It was," he said. "I think we know that, I think they know that. … Me going down kind of just changed the whole series."
The Suns went on to the NBA Finals and have been one of the best teams in the NBA all season, flexing that fact with a lopsided win Sunday — even with Chris Paul out due to a thumb injury.
The Suns know they can win without Paul; the Lakers can't stop losing without Davis.
It's part of the reason why he's trying to return, the Lakers in a fight for a postseason berth that will include a trip through the NBA's play-in tournament.
"I'm very optimistic about it," Davis said of a return. "Trying everything. I want to, especially with the situation we're in — the play-in and trying to actually fight to stay in the play-in game. I'm trying to get back on the court as soon as possible."
Frank Vogel termed Davis' return this season as "100 percent maybe."
"We'll see," he added. "He's got to test it and he's got to increase his workload and see how the injury responds."
That begins Monday with Davis performing shooting drills, his first on-court activity in nearly four weeks.
It's the Lakers' best hope — hope that the Suns easily squashed Sunday in Phoenix.
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UP NEXT
VS. TORONTO
When: 7:30 p.m., Monday
Update: The Raptors (37-30) come to Crypto.com Arena with a three-game road winning streak, including win over Phoenix and Denver on back-to-back nights. Toronto is one game behind sixth-place Cleveland in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
