Devin Booker ejected, Phoenix Suns still top defending champion Los Angeles Lakers
Suns #Suns
The Phoenix Suns didn’t have their best player for the game’s final 19 minutes, 10 seconds.
Didn’t matter.
Their All-Star point guard only took four shots from the field and their starting center only played 25 minutes.
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That didn’t matter, either.
The Suns still took down the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, 114-104, Tuesday night at STAPLES Center in a nationally-televised game on TNT.
All-Star Devin Booker was ejected after picking up back-to-back technical fouls with 7:10 left in the third quarter with Phoenix up 70-63.
The NBA provided an explanation on Booker’s two technical fouls, saying the first one was for “continually complaining” and the second one came for “directing profane language at a game official.”
Paul wasn’t aggressive offensively and Ayton didn’t play in the fourth quarter, but the Suns managed to top the Lakers in improving to 15-3 in their last 18 games.
The Lakers (24-12) were without Anthony Davis (calf strain), Kyle Kuzma (heel) and Marc Gasol (NBA health and safety protocols), but still had LeBron James.
The game’s best player finished with a game-high 38 points. He tried to carry the Lakers to victory, but Phoenix used a balanced scoring attack (five players in double figures) led by Dario Saric scoring a season-high 21 off the bench and shot 16-of-29 from 3.
The Suns (23-11) are now second in the West behind only the Utah Jazz, who have the NBA’s best record. The Suns have the NBA’s second-best record.
More: Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker named Western Conference Player of the Month for first time
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Devin Booker ejected, Phoenix Suns still top defending champion Los Angeles Lakers