National Basketball Association

With Staples Center rocking, the Lakers looked like title favorites once again

Updated May. 28, 2021 10:38 a.m. ET

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

LOS ANGELES — It was a sight to behold.

Purple and yellow streamers flitted down on elated Lakers fans in the team's first playoff game at Staples Center in eight long years.

Fans had to wait 2,952 days for this moment, following a six-year playoff drought and a championship run in a bubble amid a once-in-a-generation pandemic.

The famine is finally over.

Thousands of people screamed, danced, hugged and high-fived as Randy Newman's "I love L.A." blared over the loudspeakers after the Lakers' 109-95 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series.

The champs are back.

And they looked every bit the part.

After a sleepy first half, the Lakers put the rest of the league on notice Thursday, quieting the questions about their health and readiness with each slam dunk and powerful dribble-drive from Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

In the third quarter, the Lakers bullied their way to a 17-point lead behind their two superstars, who combined for 28 points in that period, outscoring the entire Suns team (23 points).

The Suns simply had no answer for James' and Davis' strength and finesse. They were overpowered, outgunned and stunned.

Meanwhile, the Lakers had fun.

There was the time when James dished an over-the-shoulder pass to Davis, who drove past Deandre Ayton for a basket. Davis then clenched his fists and roared as 7,825 fans screamed in approval.

Or the time when James dribbled from midcourt and pounded his way past Mikal Bridges, banking in a jumper over Bridges' outstretched hands. James then hit his fists against his chest and bowed his head as his teammates crowded around him in a semicircle, cheering.

The Lakers finally looked like themselves. They looked like a team that instills fear in everybody else in the league, rather than a team that had to fight for its playoff life in a play-in tournament.

James' right ankle? The one that sidelined him for 26 games? Yeah, he jumped off that thing for dunks.

Davis' tendinosis and calf strain? The ones that sidelined him for 30 games? Yeah, he flew around as he pleased.

It's all coming together for the Lakers.

"We’re finding our groove at the right time," said Davis, who finished with a game-high 34 points and 11 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Suns looked broken.

The team that enjoyed relatively great health during the regular season is slowly becoming unraveled by Chris Paul's right shoulder contusion suffered in Game 1. Paul was once again ineffectual, rendered to nothing but a shell of his usually tenacious self. He had seven points in 27 minutes, going scoreless in eight minutes in the second half.

The frustration spilled over for the Suns.

Devin Booker was ejected with 35.4 seconds left after shoving Dennis Schroder with two hands while he was midair. Moments later, Jae Crowder was ejected after chirping at Schroder.

"I thought the play wasn’t a basketball play," James said of Booker. "Anytime someone gets airborne, shoving them out of the air can be very dangerous. So that’s that."

The Lakers made a statement Thursday.

All along, they said they'd be healthy when it counted. But to make matters even scarier for the rest of the playoff field, they're starting to play with joy, something that was sorely lacking in the latter part of their season.

James, who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and nine assists in Game 3, put on a show. The bench was engaged. Davis was so happy that he did his postgame interview with his young daughter on his lap.

The fans were overjoyed, too.

They showed it with emphatic "F--- Jae Crowder" chants all evening. In the final seconds of the game, there was even a loud "Kobe, Kobe" chant, something that regularly happened after his death in January 2020 but was even more special Thursday, considering the Lakers were Bryant's team when they last played at Staples in the postseason.

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There were some strange moments, too, such as when actor Larry David was shown on the jumbotron and the comedian slowly slipped his mask down his face as he chewed gum.

Just a typical day in Los Angeles.

The 17-time champions are back in title-fighting form, and their unique fan base is beyond hyped to be behind them.

It's a dangerous combination, one the Lakers dreamed of having all season, and it's materializing with impeccable timing, eight long years in the making.

"It was a special night," James said. "And we just tried to reward our fans with their loyalty that they have for us."

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.