LeBron James pointed directly to turnovers as the main factor in Monday night’s 125-108 defeat to the Phoenix Suns, saying, “Turnovers. Turnovers. Transitioning points… you can’t turn the ball over that much against a disruptive defense like that.”
James stressed that energy and physicality were factors, noting, “We looked like we could have had a little bit more energy versus a team that played that way. So they took advantage of that.”
On the team’s preparation for a challenging stretch of road games against winning teams, James said, “A road trip should always refocus you no matter how you’re playing… we didn’t play our brand of basketball the way we wanted to play. So, it’s just one game.”
Despite scoring 10 points and maintaining his streak of 1,297 consecutive games with double-digit scoring, James’ team struggled with consistency. Luka Doncic led Los Angeles with 38 points, and Austin Reaves added 16, but fatigue from three home games in four nights appeared to take a toll.
Phoenix surged without Devin Booker, who left early with a groin injury, with Dillon Brooks scoring 33 points and Collin Gillespie adding a career-high 28, including eight 3-pointers. Royce O’Neale contributed six points, seven rebounds, and 11 assists, facilitating the Suns’ efficient ball movement.
The Suns shot 57 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc, while the Lakers managed 51 percent overall and 39 percent on 3-pointers. Phoenix also controlled the boards 33-29 and forced 22 turnovers, converting them into fast-break points that widened the gap.
James emphasized learning from the loss, stating, “It happens. It’s a long NBA season, but we understand that’s a very good team over there. They took us out of what we wanted to do and how we wanted to execute and we have to learn from that.”
Los Angeles will attempt to rebound on Thursday at Toronto, while Phoenix travels to Houston on Friday after snapping their recent three-game losing streak.
