NBA Round up - Lakers out of NBA postseason contention after Suns rout

The Los Angeles Lakers were officially eliminated from postseason contention on Tuesday as the Phoenix Suns sent the crisis-stricken NBA giants spinning to a seventh straight defeat.

With an injured LeBron James watching from the sidelines, the Lakers' faint hopes of scraping into the playoffs were snuffed out as the Western Conference leaders turned on the style to complete a convincing 121-110 win in Phoenix.

The Los Angeles defeat -– and San Antonio's 116-97 win over the Denver Nuggets earlier Tuesday -– mean the Lakers will not be in the postseason for the first time since 2019.

It is only the fourth time since James entered the league in 2003 that the NBA superstar has failed to reach the postseason.

"We're extremely disappointed," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. "Disappointed for our fanbase, disappointed for the (ownership), that gave us this opportunity.

"We wanted to play our part in bringing success to Laker basketball and we fell short. It's not been due to a lack of effort. We have all put in the work.

"Guys stayed fighting right to the end. We brought integrity to the process we just fell short through a disjointed season. We're all disappointed."

Tuesday's loss brings the curtain down on a miserable campaign for the Lakers.

A decision to rebuild their roster last year in a blockbuster trade for Russell Westbrook has been a spectacular failure, accentuated by a long-term injury to Anthony Davis that kept the star forward sidelined for roughly half the season.

A pall of gloom shrouded the NBA's most glamorous franchise in recent weeks, as loss after costly loss piled up to leave the 17-time NBA champions needing a miraculous sequence of results to somehow scrape into the play-in tournament.

Before Tuesday's game, social