With three members of their starting five out due to injuries, the Lakers’ remaining skeleton crew had to add some extra work to their timecards.
Rajon Rondo was chief among this group, sitting only six minutes of L.A.’s 116-102 wire-to-wire win.
“I’m not complaining,” Rondo said. “I missed about 74 games, and I’m pretty fresh.”
A bit of an exaggeration, sure, but Rondo did miss 34 of the Lakers’ first 50 games due to his own injuries. Yet he was in full control of the Lakers’ offense on Sunday night, tallying eight points and a game-high 11 assists.
“There are people who go out there and hunt assists and only make the pass if it’s going to give them an assist — and that’s not him,” coach Luke Walton said. “He’s going to make the right play, and if that leads to an assist it does. But if it leads to someone else getting a bucket, he’s fine with that too.”
Plenty of teammates thrived off Rondo’s playmaking, most notably Ivica Zubac, who went off for 24 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks.
Zubac was too much for the Suns (11-41) to handle down low, as he operated out of pick-and-rolls, put back missed shots and cut into open space.
With Phoenix missing first-overall draft pick Deandre Ayton, the Lakers (26-24) focused on scoring inside, racking up 70 points in the paint with Zubac leading the charge.
“He does a great job of getting himself open,” Rondo said. “Finding the right spots, getting into the creases where they ball can reach him. And he’s able to finish. He has great touch around the rim with both hands and he’s probably one of the strongest bigs in the game.”
Zubac did, however, foul out of the game, as did Brandon Ingram, who had an otherwise strong game. Ingram put up 22 points on a tight 9-for-11 clip, going back and forth between scoring in the post and driving out of pick-and-rolls.
He also added four assists, two steals and two blocks, mostly stemming from his 7-foot-3 wingspan.
“I’m long enough just to put my arm out and get a deflection or a steal,” Ingram said. “So [I’m] just using my length to the best of my ability.”
Meanwhile, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope matched Zubac’s 24 points by hitting four 3-pointers and attacking off a few designed plays.
KCP was also valuable on the other side as the Lakers’ primary defender against Devin Booker. Thirteenth in the NBA in scoring, Booker did manage 21 points but needed 18 shots to get there.
The Lakers often threw double teams at Booker, forcing the ball out of his hands and making his teammates attempt to score. Phoenix shot just 40.0 percent from the field and 29.6 on 3-pointers.
However, the Suns hung around thanks to a 27-12 advantage in made free throws. In fact, they even cut L.A.’s lead to six with 11 minutes remaining.
But Lance Stephenson (17 points) saved the day with a sizzling stretch, scoring 10 of the Lakers’ next 11 points. He hit several shots from the perimeter, sending the Suns to their eighth straight loss and celebrating with his patented air guitar.
Notes
LeBron James, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Tyson Chandler did not play. Josh Hart left the game with knee tendinitis. … Michael Beasley (eight points, six assists) filled in Kuzma’s starting spot. … Richaun Holmes had 12 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks for Phoenix. … George Lopez, Arsenio Hall, Odell Beckham Jr., Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow were among the sold-out crowd.