At the end of a low intensity meeting, the Phoenix Suns punished the Los Angeles Lakers (100-92) in game four of the first round of the NBA play-offs at Staples Center, and returned to a tie (2 games everywhere). A contrasting encounter like this between Lakers who were dominant but very quickly casual and disorganized, sometimes even fragile, against the Suns who knew how to come back perfectly well in this part after being led by nine points in the second quarter. They then took matters into their own hands to turn at the break with a four-point lead, an advance that they transformed into a substantial gap (68-54) at the start of the third quarter.
Injured to the adductors, Anthony Davis (6 points, 4 points, 3 assists in 19 minutes) terribly missed the Lakers, especially since on a false rhythm, polluted by many approximations, this game four propelled the Suns at the end of the third quarter -time on the score of 81-65. To believe that the Lakers, in the greatest disorder and very little involvement, had mourned this game that was really too messy to be interesting.
From the start of the fourth quarter, the Suns dominated (eighteen points ahead), skilfully played the clock and were never caught, even if opposite, LeBron James, seemed at the end capable of carrying this match on his broad shoulders, managing to raise his level of play (25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists). A good defense of the Lakers, finally, reduced the gap to seven points (95-88) two minutes from the end but it was not enough. We hope, on Tuesday (4 hours), for a more exciting sequel, which shouldn’t be very difficult…