Booker's 47, Suns End the Lakers' Reign

A first-round exit is not the ending the Los Angeles Lakers had in mind at the start of the 2020-2021 National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season. And nobody predicted that this is how the Lakers' reign would end: a first-round exit as the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

The 2020 NBA champions trailed as much as 29 points before fighting back in the second half, only to lose it all in the fourth quarter. In the end, the Phoenix Suns scored timely baskets to end the Lakers' hope of forcing a Game Seven and came away with a 113-100 victory at Staples Center- taking the best-of-seven series, 4-2.

Devin Booker led all scorers with 47 points. He shot 15 for 22 from the field, eight for ten from the three-point line, and made all of his nine attempts from the free-throw line. Booker also had 11 rebounds, three assists, and a steal. All of that in 46 minutes.

Jae Crowder scored 18 points on six for nine shooting from the three-point line, while Mikal Bridges added ten points, six rebounds, and two steals. Chris Paul stabilized things at the point guard position as he finished with eight points and 12 assists.

The Suns were hot offensively- shooting 50% from the field and 51% from the three-point line.

The Lakers couldn't get anything going despite Anthony Davis starting after missing Game Five due to a groin injury. After the Lakers subbed out Davis for good, they fell behind as much as 29 points in the second quarter. It didn't help them either that Alex Caruso was limited to just eight minutes due to injury.

LeBron James lost in the first round for the first time in his playoff career- finishing with 29 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Dennis Schroder added 20 points, while Kentavious Cardwell-Pope added 19 points. Wes Matthews scored 12 points off the bench.

While the Lakers dominated the shaded area where they scored 56 points compared to the Suns' 26 points, their 28% three-points was one of the things that ended their reign. LeBron James shot just three for ten from that distance, while Schroder just made two of his six attempts from three.

The Suns will now face the Denver Nuggets in the second round. The Lakers, meanwhile, will head into an unclear offseason.

Photo is from CBS Sports