PHOENIX (AP) — Anthony
Davis had a few words to say about the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff loss to the Phoenix Suns last season before the teams played Sunday night.
The Suns got the last word.
Devin Booker scored 30 points, Deandre Ayton had 23 points and 16 rebounds in just 27 minutes and the NBA-leading Suns routed the Lakers 140-111.
Booker also had 10 assists and four steals. Mikal Bridges added 18 points to help Phoenix move 40 games over .500 at 54-14. The 140 points were a season high for the Suns.
Davis told reporters before the game that the Lakers would have beaten the Suns last year in their postseason series had he not been sidelined with a groin injury.
Booker said the Suns heard about Davis’ comments before the teams took the court Sunday.
LeBron James led the Lakers, who have lost 10 straight road games, with 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He did not play in the fourth quarter.
James reached a milestone with his 10,000th career assist in the second quarter on Carmelo Anthony’s 3-pointer. James is the only player in NBA history with at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists.
Ayton’s double-double came after a text exchange with coach Monty Williams following the Suns’ loss to Toronto on Friday night. Ayton had 16 points and seven rebounds in the loss and told Williams in the text that he could take advantage of the Lakers’ small lineup, featuring James at center.
The Suns broke it open in the first five minutes. They went on a 14-0 run — punctuated by back-to-back 27-foot 3-pointers by Booker — to take a 16-6 lead, and kept pouring it on.
Phoenix led 48-22 after the first quarter, the Suns’ highest output in a quarter this season and the most the Lakers have given up in a quarter in the shot-clock era.
Phoenix had 14 assists and no turnovers in the quarter and was 7 of 12 from 3-point range. The Lakers had seven turnovers and were 1 of 10 on 3-point attempts.
Phoenix had a season-high 79 points at the half for a 23-point lead.