Lakers aggressiveness leads to free-throw-heavy night in win over Suns.
LOS ANGELES — The Lakers beat the Suns 122–111 on Wednesday behind a combined 78 points from Anthony Davis, D’Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves to improve their record to 36–37.
Aggressiveness was the key definition of the Lakers' game plan: getting every opportunity they could to attack the basket and draw fouls from start to finish. Their aggression led to 46 free throw attempts, of which they knocked down 36 for a total percentage of 78%.
“Forty-six free throws is a lot,” said Reaves. “but if you get downhill a lot, and you have guys like AD and DLo who are really crafty, you’re gonna get a lot of fouls.”
The Lakers' 46 free throw attempts were the 4th most by any team this season, according to StatMuse.
After his career-high 35-point night against the Magic on Sunday, head coach Darvin Ham gave Reaves the nod in the starting rotation, calling it a “trick up his sleeve.”
“For me, it’s the same mindset: win at all costs. That’s all that really matters,” said Reaves on his new opportunity in the starting lineup.
In his insertion into the lineup, Reaves finished with a double-double of 25 points and 11 assists while shooting 60% from the field on 6-of-10 shooting in 38 minutes. Reaves continued his knack for getting to the foul line by creating sneaky contact, going 12-for-13 from the free throw line.
Davis gave the Lakers an identity on offense coming out of halftime, scoring 20 of his 27 total points in the second half, finishing 10-for-18 from the floor, and adding nine rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes.
Russell was the Lakers' second-leading scorer with a 69% shooting percentage on 9-of-13, finishing with 26 points, six assists, and two blocks in 34 minutes.
The Lakers’ next matchup comes this Friday at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder at 7:30 p.m. on Spectrum SportsNet.
