MANILA – Anthony Davis had a huge bounce-back game as the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 109-102 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Western Conference first-round playoffs on Tuesday at the Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.
Held to just 13 points in their Game 1 defeat, Davis had a near triple-double showing with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists along with three blocks as the Lakers tied the best-of-seven series at 1-1.
Dennis Schroder and LeBron James contributed 24 and 23 markers, respectively, while Andre Drummond had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds for the defending champions Lakers.
Ahead by 15 points in the third period, the Lakers were stunned by an intense fourth-quarter uprising of the Suns, which snatched an 88-86 lead via an inside basket from DeAndre Ayton.
Davis and James then converted consecutive hits to give the Lakers a 100-92 lead. The Suns rallied to within six, but a three-pointer by James, with under a minute left, sealed the win for Los Angeles.
Devin Booker finished with 31 points, Ayton had a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Cameron Payne dropped 19 markers for the Suns.
Dallas Mavericks, meanwhile, repeated its dominance over the Los Angeles Clippers with a 127-121 Game 2 victory to take a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 39 points with seven rebounds, and seven assists, while Tim Hardaway Jr. and Kristaps Porzingis scored 28 and 20 markers, respectively.
On the other hand, Brooklyn Nets notched a 2-0 edge in the Eastern Conference series after a 130-108 Game 2 win over Boston Celtics. Kevin Durant and Joe Harris paced the Nets with 26 and 25 points, respectively.
In other results, Milwaukee Bucks took a 2-0 series advantage after a 132-98 beating of Miami Heat in Game 2, while Denver Nuggets tied their series after a 128-109 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 2.
BOX SCORE:
LOS ANGELES 109 – Davis 34, Schroder 24, James 23, Drummond 15, Gasol 6, Caruso 4, Kuzma 2, Horton-Tucker 1, Caldwell-Pope 0, Matthews 0, Morris 0.
PHOENIX 102 – Booker 31, Ayton 22, Payne 19, Crowder 8, Bridges 6, Paul 6, Johnson 6, Saric 2, Craig 2.
QUARTERSCORES:
30-24, 53-47, 79-72, 109-102./PN
