Can Luka and this suddenly stingy Lakers defense fuel a title run? - ESPN

WEARY FROM A winless road trip that dropped the Los Angeles Lakers from second to fifth in the Western Conference standings, the team's homecoming reward was a Sunday matinee tipoff against the Phoenix Suns.

L.A.'s four-game skid — with three of those losses coming without LeBron James after the 40-year-old was sidelined by a left groin strain — could hardly match the Suns on the hardship scale. Heading into the game, Phoenix had gone 6-14 since Feb. 1, compared to the Lakers' 13-6 mark in that span.

Phoenix still presented a challenge. For all of the struggles, the Suns brought with them Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the 10th-best offense in the league. The Suns' offense had singed the Lakers twice this season, including in a 127-100 drubbing on Nov. 26, and Durant and Booker combined for 63 points in a win on Oct. 28.

This time, the Lakers' defense — an outfit that has improved on the fly despite trading perennial Defensive Player of the Year contender Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic and relying on big minutes from two-way players — dictated the terms. L.A. built a 31-15 lead through the first quarter, smothering the Suns into 6-for-22 shooting (27.3%), including a 3-for-13 combined start for their big three (23.1%).

«It started with our physicality and just making catches tough. And then we were shifting off the right guys,» Lakers coach JJ Redick said after his team's 107-96 win. «We were making it tough for them to generate the shots. And then when they generated the shots, we had a great contest.»

Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said he noticed an obvious change from a couple of months ago. «They look like they're connected,» Budenholzer said. «It looks like they're covering for each other, a commitment to