It is only the fourth time in James’s 19-season career that he fails to appear in the post-season. The 37-year-old lost his second consecutive game after an ankle injury. Lakers coach Frank Vogel told reporters after the game that he was “extremely disappointed” after he withdrew from the playoffs. “Disappointed with our fan base,” he added. “I’m disappointed with the Buss family [owners]which gave us all this opportunity, and we want to play our part to bring success to Laker basketball and we lost. “ READ: Golden State Warriors coach says moments of silence will not end armed violence
“Injuries prevented”
It was a tough game in the early stages, before the Suns stepped up the game in the third quarter to build a healthy lead. Devin Booker scored 32 points and made six three-pointers to give the Western Conference leaders their 63rd win of the record season. Lakers guard Russell Westbrook had 28 points and Anthony Davis had 21 points, but it was too short, too late for Los Angeles, which are struggling with a string of injuries this season. “This year, we had more starting line-ups than wins,” Davis told reporters. “Our goal was to win a championship … I feel like we had the pieces, but the injuries prevented that. And that was the difference of the season.”
