The Los Angeles Lakers have been in cruise control against the Phoenix Suns for much of their contest on Sunday afternoon, as they jumped out to a 20-point lead in the first quarter and have held a double digit lead for much of the game. As it turns out, even star guard Luka Doncic was stunned by how poorly the Suns were playing.
With LeBron James out due to a groin injury, the Lakers have struggled as of late, losing their past four games heading into this contest. While they certainly haven't played their best basketball on Sunday, it hasn't mattered because of how bad Phoenix has been, leading to Stephen A. Smith grilling them during ESPN's halftime show.
"The Phoenix Suns resembled a little kid that was placed punishment by his parents and assigned to do chores. That's how they made playing the game of basketball look in the first half, like it was this arduous, painful task that they had to subject themselves to. That's how bad they looked," Smith said of the Suns play.
Doncic has been in complete control of the game on the other side of things, helping Los Angeles keep Phoenix at arms length for much of the contest. ESPN mic'd Doncic up for this nationally televised game, and they caught his stunned reaction to the Sun' lackluster defense against him.
"I've never been open so much in life," Doncic was revealed to have said on ESPN's broadcast of the game. "That's the first time I've made this open shot."
KD to Luka: "You're not getting that in the playoffs, you know that."
Luka later on the bench: "I've never been open so much in my life."
These mic'd up moments pic.twitter.com/mS7oUDVVQL
— ESPN (@espn) March 16, 2025
While Doncic missed the Lakers' latest game against the Denver Nuggets, he poured in 45 points in his best game for his new squad the night before in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, he's got Los Angeles just a few minutes away from their 41st win of the season.
Related: Lakers Make Luka Doncic Injury Announcement Before Suns Contest
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This story was originally published March 16, 2025 at 2:51 PM.