NBA: First points for Wagner! Lakers blowout against the Suns

Despite a catastrophic start to the game, the Los Angeles Lakers (14-9) have completed their compulsory task against the Phoenix Suns (4-19). At the 120:96 from Lakers point of view Devin Booker also injured himself – and Moritz Wagner celebrated his “right” debut in the NBA in the final phase.

At 12.30 noon the game started at the Staples Center and you could almost see the hosts in a silly way at the beginning – the Lakers opened the game completely without focus, threw horror pass after horror pass and didn’t defend it at all. As a result, the Suns led 25:8 after less than seven minutes of play, and it was only from this point that LeBron James and Brandon Ingram showed a little more resistance and shortened the interval to at least 21:31.

Also the Suns did not play at all high-class and did a lot of turnovers. As soon as L.A. invested a little more, they quickly moved in the other direction: With a 10-0 run, in which Michael Beasley was particularly noticeable, the Lakers were able to compensate the game at the beginning of the second quarter quickly again.

When James and Co. returned, the Lakers took complete control of the game. After three of the strong Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the last 15 seconds, L.A. went into the half-time break with a 61:46 lead – 17 points behind! After Devin Booker had to get out of his thigh at the end of the quarter, the chances for his team didn’t seem too good anymore.

This impression was then confirmed. Booker didn’t come back, T.J. Warren was missing the Suns anyway, so Phoenix simply lacked the class to keep the game open. Relatively quickly the Lakers dropped to over 20 points, so the starters had to leave early and Luke Walton emptied his bench, which meant that Moritz Wagner had to play at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The first throws didn’t find their goal yet, but Wagner celebrated his premiere 8 minutes before the end – from the free-throw line the German scored his first NBA points! A few minutes later, the first Field Goal followed, followed a little later by the first threesome, and then the second. The Lakers bank celebrated exuberantly, as did the audience, who chanted “Feed Moe Wagner” for several minutes! The No.25 pick finished the game with 10 points (3/8 FG) and 3 rebounds in about ten minutes.

Topscorer at the Lakers was Kuzma with 23 points, James came on 22 points. In the Suns, Richaun Holmes was top scorer with 15 points from the Bank. Deandre Ayton came with 10 points and 10 rebounds on a double-double.