Lakers’ Frank Vogel Reveals What Forced LeBron James to Locker Room Early in Game 5 Against Suns

Chris Paul’s handles, the crowd’s electrifying energy, Mikal Bridges’ dunk, shot fake from Devin Booker, and a dangerous Cameron Payne, the Phoenix Suns Arena was on fire. The hosts completely consumed the Lakers and left them gasping for oxygen. 

Phoenix Suns defeated the heavy favorites in Lakers by a huge 30 point margin in Game 5. They could do that because of a very disciplined match and also an MVP-level performance from CP3. In the absence of Anthony Davis, the Lakers looked every bit like a #7 team and never had their chance throughout the game.

When Lakers’ LeBron James left the floor early

The Lakers were so much under the trouble that they gave their guards down by the decisive quarter. In those final 12 minutes, neither LeBron James, Dennis Schroder, or KCP hit the floor. By Q3, King James had played for 32 minutes, scoring 24 points, 5 rebs, and 7 assists to remain the only man registering double figures until then. It will also not be wrong to suggest that Frank Vogel miserably failed at managing the rotation in the absence of Anthony Davis, not using Montrezl Harrell until the very end.

In the post-game conference, coach Vogel responded to Bron’s Q4 absence by saying –

One can agree that this was a rather good move because there was no way the Lakers could’ve overcome a 29-point deficit. So it was better to give Bron some rest and keep him from unnecessary injuries. This game, more than any other match, proved that AD is very much needed every single night.

Read more – ‘99.9’: Lakers’ LeBron James Explains His Comments on Never Getting Back to His 100

What led to the Suns shining like stars?

Consider this, the Suns had zero turnovers till the time they had already mounted a 21-point lead. That meant an optimum use case for every possession and hence the giant 30-point score difference by halftime. Even as CP3 injured his shoulder in the second half, he stayed actively motivating the likes of Payne from the bench.

The Lake Show was such a poor show that it took a strenuous effort from them to even score 10 points in the entire Q2. But it was understandable, given both their starters in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dennis Schroder went scoreless until Q3. It was as if the team had dumped all their responsibilities on the well-built heavy-duty shoulders of LeBron James. 

By Q3, the starting lineup of the Suns had 69 points against the full 12-men rotation of Lakers that combined 63. Even as Kyle Kuzma and Talen Horton-Tucker, and Trezz played a decent Q4, Devin Booker‘s men were totally under control. Do you still see a turnaround in the next game? Help us know in the comments.

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