The Los Angeles Lakers made headlines with a commanding 97-77 home victory over the Phoenix Suns, marking their first three-game winning streak of the season. Crickex Sign Up highlighted the win not only for its margin but for the Lakers’ defensive dominance, which held the Suns to a historically low-scoring half.
Phoenix, now mired in a nine-game losing skid, delivered one of the worst shooting halves in franchise history. In the first two quarters, they went just 9-for-46 from the field, a dreadful 19.6% shooting rate, and missed all 10 of their three-point attempts. Their 22-point total at halftime set a new record for the lowest-scoring half in Suns history. On the flip side, the Lakers allowed just 22 points in the first half, the fewest they had conceded in a half since February 5, 2000—breaking a 15-year drought for defensive milestones.
From the tip-off, the Lakers wasted no time establishing control. Fueled by their home crowd, the offense clicked early. Larry Nance Jr. set the tone with a powerful two-handed alley-oop slam from Jordan Clarkson to give the Lakers a 10-4 lead. The Suns briefly hung around, trailing 12-8 with under five minutes left in the first, but the Lakers responded with a 13-2 run. By the end of the quarter, the Lakers led 25-10, while Phoenix struggled mightily, hitting just 5 of 21 shots.
The second quarter saw more of the same. Archie Goodwin’s layup offered brief hope for the Suns, but the Lakers roared back with a 9-0 run led by Brandon Bass and Lou Williams, who combined for multiple easy buckets in the paint. The Suns’ slump only deepened—Tyson Chandler missed two dunks, P.J. Tucker launched an airball, and Brandon Knight threw a careless pass straight to a Lakers defender. A late 6-0 Suns run provided minimal relief, but it was quickly overshadowed by Williams draining a buzzer-beating turnaround three to close the half with the Lakers up 43-22.
After halftime, the Lakers continued their onslaught. Roy Hibbert’s emphatic dunk pushed the lead to 74-36 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Phoenix briefly responded with an 11-0 surge, which included their first three-pointer of the night—courtesy of Mirza Teletovic after 14 straight misses from deep. But the Lakers answered swiftly. Clarkson threw down a poster dunk, and Williams hit from long range, extending the lead to 81-51 heading into the final period.
The fourth quarter opened with the Lakers easing off the gas pedal, which gave the Suns a glimmer of hope. Teletovic sparked a 21-5 Phoenix rally that cut the deficit to 86-72. Yet the Lakers quickly regrouped. Bass converted a three-point play, and Nance Jr. capped the sequence with another dunk to restore order. From there, Los Angeles kept control until the final buzzer.
The 97-77 win not only secured the Lakers’ first three-game winning streak of the season but also gave fans a glimpse of the team’s potential when firing on all cylinders. Crickex Sign Up notes this performance as a statement game—highlighting young talent, hustle, and defense as the backbone of a much-needed momentum shift.