LeBron Jamesnear the end of a brutally tough shooting night, intentionally missed a free throw to try to create an offensive rebound and save his bad night.
But the Suns locked up the loose ball, the last big moment in a 109-105 victory that gave the Lakers their first loss of the season.
Faced with a choice during a break in the final minute with his team down three, Lakers coach JJ Redick made a decision
He was going for it.
Despite time on the clock for the Lakers to have multiple possessions, Redick designed a play to get Austin Reaves an open three. And while the play itself created the look the Lakers wanted, the shot didn’t fall.
The team got another stop and another chance, but Phoenix fumbled rather than give the Lakers a chance to hit an even three. James made the first free throw, but rather than make the second and foul the Suns, he tried to force the offensive rebound.
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He finished with just 11 points, making just three of his 14 shots.
Anthony Davis had 29 and Reaves scored 23 in the loss to the Suns. Devin Booker had 33 for Phoenix, and Kevin Durant had 30.
Validation can come in other ways, as it did Monday morning for the Lakers and Davis when he was named player of the week in the Western Conference for his first-week dominance.
Although the award itself is about as temporary of an official accolade that the NBA offers, it, like much of what happened in the beginning, it only adds credibility to Redick’s vision of what the Lakers should do nightly.
By naming Davis the “centerpiece” of the team’s offense shortly after he got the job, the Lakers fully committed to having their big man be their first offensive option. And he rewarded them.
“We talk a lot as a team about choices and so, for me, that was a choice made on Day 1 and then you just, that choice was made,” Redick said before the game on Monday. “Nothing else you have to do. Now you go to the next priority. Obviously I think even in preseason and through the first three regular season games, I think that choice was obvious and our guys have embraced that choice down the stretch.”
Read more: LeBron James continues to impress Lakers coach JJ Redick with his “crazy” feats
The Lakers dug into that pick again early Monday night, Davis somehow looking even more dominant than he has in a string of three-straight games with more than 30 points.
In the first nine minutes Monday, Davis scored 16 points against the Suns while delivering the defensive highlights that have helped define his career, such as blocking Durant when the two met at the rim.
But when Davis left the game, the Suns quickly erased a lead that was as large as 18.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
