National Basketball Association

Devin Booker guides Phoenix Suns past Los Angeles Lakers for spicy Game 1 win

Updated May. 24, 2021 10:57 a.m. ET

Game 1 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns had it all, including a drama-filled fourth quarter featuring a player ejection.

The first quarter was a high-scoring affair, with the two teams combining for 57 points in the opening frame in front of a frenzied crowd at Phoenix Suns Arena.

The game slowed down a bit in the second quarter, but the Suns still outpaced the Lakers 21-20 to take a 53-45 lead into the half.

However, it wasn't all good news for Phoenix heading into the break, as a shoulder contusion for Chris Paul at the 9:19 mark of the second quarter loomed large.

As Paul fluttered in and out of the lineup, clearly looking affected by the injury, the Lakers kept battling but couldn't quite get over the hump ⁠— largely because of the hot hand of Devin Booker for the Suns.

In the fourth, tempers reached a crescendo when Paul was called for a foul that sent LeBron James tumbling to the floor with 9:01 left in regulation.

On the periphery of the play, Suns guard Cam Payne and Lakers guard Alex Caruso got into a confrontation, with Lakers big man Montrezl Harrell dashing in late.

The referees assessed technical fouls on Harrell and Caruso, along with a double tech on Payne, disqualifying him from the remainder of the game.

The Lakers managed to trim the deficit to seven with just under seven minutes left to play, but they were stymied beyond that, as Phoenix buckled down to walk away with a 99-90 victory in Game 1.

Let's take a deeper look at how Phoenix snagged a 1-0 series lead:

Key performer: Devin Booker

Booker sure didn't look like a 24-year-old getting his first taste of the postseason. The sixth-year guard stepped up huge for Phoenix, particularly with Paul ailing. Booker went 13-for-26 for 34 points Sunday.

He also doled out eight assists in the game, tying Paul for the lead on the Suns, and he hauled in seven rebounds.

Turning point: Phoenix getting to the line in the second half

Despite a solid, eight-point lead at the break, the Suns struggled to get to the free-throw line in the first half.

And by "struggled," we mean they didn't. At all.

Phoenix isn't a team that got to the line often this season ⁠— they finished 29th in free-throw attempts ⁠— but going empty wasn't going to cut it.

The Suns forced the issue in the second half, getting to the line 12 times and hitting 10 of those attempts. That aggressiveness made the Suns less predictable down the stretch.

Wild card: Anthony Davis comes up empty

LeBron didn't have a standout game, by his standards, but Davis was particularly poor on Sunday.

James led the Lakers with 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting, while Davis managed just 13 on a dismal 5-for-16.

Credit is due to Suns center Deandre Ayton, who battled "The Brow" defensively for much of the contest. In addition to pouring in 21 points on 10-for-11 shooting for Phoenix, Ayton also did the dirty work on the glass.

The big fella for the Suns pulled in a game-high 16 boards, compared to seven for Davis and nine for Lakers center Andre Drummond.

As a result, Davis finished with a plus-minus of minus-18, the lowest mark for any player on the floor. The next closest player in terms of plus-minus was Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, at minus-9.

Did you know?

This was Phoenix's first playoff win since May 25, 2010, in the Western Conference finals, which also came against the Lakers.

Twitter's take:

What's next?

Game 2 of Suns vs. Lakers will take place at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday at Phoenix Suns Arena (TNT). The big story heading into the game will be the continued monitoring of Paul's ailing shoulder.

For the Lakers, the big question will be if Davis and LeBron can get back to their regular, dominant selves in time for Game 2.

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