PHOENIX — LeBron James missed the first free throw that would have tied it. Then, bailed out by a foul with 3.9 seconds remaining, he missed the second. A long-awaited swish finally quieted a restless crowd.
The Lakers squandered a 20-point fourth-quarter lead and survived only after Devin Booker fouled James on a three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left to win 116-114 on Sunday.
James had 26 points while Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 29 points. Playing without Austin Reaves (calf), the Lakers attempted 43 free throws in a testy game that featured five technical fouls and one late ejection.
Dillon Brooks hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 12.2 seconds left to fully erase the Lakers’ 20-point lead, but he was ejected after he bumped chests with James in the celebration. Brooks received a technical foul in the first quarter and James drew a technical in the third after a perceived slight from Brooks, who slapped a loose ball toward James during a pause in the action.
Brooks had 18 points and missed most of the third quarter after picking up his fifth foul.
The Lakers finished the third quarter on a 15-0 run, largely off hustle plays from Jake LaRavia. The forward who has averaged 6.1 points in the last 10 games, including two scoreless outings, played more than eight minutes in the first half and had nothing to show for it besides two missed shots and a foul. He made just one shot in the third and watched an easy layup roll around the rim and pop out. But he made an impact on defense with two steals, a block and four rebounds in the third quarter.
His defense led to the offensive highlight of the third as he stole a pass and shoveled the ball to Jaxson Hayes in transition. The 7-foot center cocked the ball behind his head on a violent two-handed dunk over Oso Ighodaro and finished the three-point play from the free-throw line.
Hayes had 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench. After scoring just seven points off the bench in their last loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers got a 30-point lift from their reserves, including seven from Jarred Vanderbilt, who played his first significant minutes in a month.
Vanderbilt had been relegated to the bench since the return of James, but brought a much-needed defensive lift Sunday as the team hoped to rediscover its defensive mentality. The forward had seven rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.
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