National Basketball Association

Lakers respond to Game 1 loss, tie series with Suns

Published May. 26, 2021 1:27 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

The sky was falling in LaLa Land after Game 1, but the sun might be shining in Southern California after all.

The Los Angeles Lakers bounced back in Game 2 to secure a 109-102 win over the Phoenix Suns and also silence a few critics.

Here is how the Lakers responded to tie this series at 1-1:

Key performer: Anthony Davis

There was plenty of blame to go around after the Lakers' lackluster effort to start this series in Game 1, but the majority of it fell on the shoulders of their 6-10 superstar, Davis.

He scored just 13 points in Game 1, shooting 5-for-16 from the field, and he made sure that was an outlier performance and not the norm with a dominant Game 2.

Davis scored 32 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out seven assists and blocked three shots to remind the world why he is one of the best players in the league.

He spoke on what the game meant to him in his postgame interview.

Turning point: 10-1 Lakers run to start the third quarter

The Lakers took a 53-47 lead into the half and returned to start the third quarter with a 10-1 run, turning their six-point lead into a 15-point cushion.

While the Suns were able to claw back and make a game of it in the fourth quarter, even taking the lead, that spurt to start the half provided enough cushion for the Lakers, and in the end the Suns ran out of gas.

Wild card: Dennis Schröder

While Davis will get the headlines, and LeBron James' clutch heroics played a key part in sealing the victory, the Lakers do not win this game without the monster performance turned in by Schröder.

Schröder contributed 24 points and three assists, proving to be the third scorer the Lakers desperately need next to James and Davis.

A continued steady presence from Schröder could prove to be key for the Lakers to find more consistency as a team on offense in the postseason.

Twitter's take:

Did you know?

LeBron James-led teams have never fallen down 0-2 in the first round of the playoffs.

After losing Game 1, the Lakers bounced back in Game 2 to keep that streak alive.

What's next?

The series heads back to Staples Center tied at 1-1 with the Lakers seemingly having the momentum.

Game 3 will tip off at 10:00 p.m. ET Thursday.

For more up-to-date news on all things NBA, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

share

Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Basketball Association

Los Angeles Lakers

Phoenix Suns

LeBron James

Anthony Davis

Dennis Schröder