Lakers @ Suns Thursday Game Thread, 2-26-2026

[Phrazbit]

I don't know if it was already linked but ESPN had a featured article on Ayton today and it is beyond embarrassing.

He talks about how the ball finds energy, while complaining about not getting touches. He's out to lunch. The Lakers write hype up stuff on his water bottle in hopes that the constant reminder will keep him engaged.

Why the Lakers' success depends on Deandre Ayton -- and vice versa

Deandre Ayton and the Lakers are entering the most crucial stretch of the season. The question is: Will he accept the role they desperately need him to play?

www.espn.com

God, I want to play them in the first round so bad.

 

[GatorAZ]

Biggest clown in the league right now but we didn’t have to draft him #1. We had two top-10 picks that draft and didn’t get either Luka or SGA. All time fumble by McDonough, Jones, Sarver whoever etc.

 

[Mainstreet]

Biggest clown in the league right now but we didn’t have to draft him #1. We had two top-10 picks that draft and didn’t get either Luka or SGA. All time fumble by McDonough, Jones, Sarver whoever etc.

Word is McDonough wanted to trade for the rights to Shai but Sarver wanted Mikal Bridges... not bad but still.

I suspect Sarver heavily influenced the picks in the 2018 draft.

 

[Superbone]

Even though Ayton probably has his best game of the year in a W for the Lakers tonight (because that is our lot in sports life), I can only chuckle reading articles like this about how he’s “the x-factor”, if only he’d show up with intensity, night in, night out…

“Trying to Make Me Clint Capela”: Deandre Ayton Voices His Frustration With the Lakers

The Lakers lost for the third time in four games last night, and it was a particularly brutal one. L.

www.yahoo.com

Ayton had 2 points, 4 boards and he was a -24 tonight. Clint Capella he is not. Capella is much better.

 

[GatorAZ]

Word is McDonough wanted to trade for the rights to Shai but Sarver wanted Mikal Bridges... not bad but still.

I suspect Sarver heavily influenced the picks in the 2018 draft.

McDonough was always drunk on athletic upside; Jackson, Chriss, DA… I think DA was his pick and probably wanted SGA over Bridges.

Sarver and Jones went to overseas to scout Luka without McD who was fired before the season started.

 

[Superbone]

I didn't say we couldn't win the game, I just don't believe it will be "great effort" that decides this contest. In order for us to win it will take great effort by the Suns AND a total lack of focus and preparation on the part of the Lakers. The talent disparity is too great to be overcome simply by effort and coaching, we need the Lakers to come into town fat and lazy expecting to coast to victory. And if we don't get that, we'll get blown out and fans will blame it on lack of effort.

I love this team. They are all heart AFAIC. But with Collin and Grayson playing injured and so many others out, we have a scary lack of weapons. Unless we can buy a few of those refs, we're in trouble even against the lowly Lakers.

I think you were wrong here, Steve. Lakers showed pretty good focus and preparation tonight. They played a good game. We just played a better one in spite of missing 3 of our most important players.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Lololol… this Suns team ownage of the Lakers this season is really something else. Love it. They’re being held together by spit and bubble gum right now and ANY W is a great W.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Also, Jalen Green… WTF? I understood he was a bit of a better stats than actual player on Houston, but he has been flat out horrendous since coming back.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think you were wrong here, Steve. Lakers showed pretty good focus and preparation tonight. They played a good game. We just played a better one in spite of missing 3 of our most important players.

I thought the Lakers seemed unfocused to start but yeah, for most of the game we had their full attention. I said we had a chance to win but I'm surprised, almost shocked, that we actually pulled it off.

 

[Superbone]

Poor guy. LOL.

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[Phrazbit]

I thought the Lakers seemed unfocused to start but yeah, for most of the game we had their full attention. I said we had a chance to win but I'm surprised, almost shocked, that we actually pulled it off.

Yeah, I don't think we caught them off guard. I also don't think we were particularly good, outside of that we had a lot of hustle.

If you try, you hustle, and you don't do stupid stuff and you beat yourself, this Laker team is a very beatable team. They play stupid, they don't hustle and the are quick to surrender.

They're very reminiscent of the Suns the previous 2 years.

 

[Phrazbit]

Also, Jalen Green… WTF? I understood he was a bit of a better stats than actual player on Houston, but he has been flat out horrendous since coming back.

He's been impossibly bad.

I hope it's that he's trying to hard, wanting to make up for all the time he has missed and we're short handed.

But I don't see it. The Rockets were better when he didn't play, we've been drastically better without him. He's a ball hog, ISO player who can't pass or shoot currently. Defensively, he's been better than I thought, but his offense was supposed to be his plus and he might be the worst offensive player in the league right now.

Slim hope he thrives as an off ball catch and shoot/slasher alongside Booker, like he did in that one full game they both player early in the year. But I am not holding my breath.

 

[clyde2tw]

Lakers is not a good defensive team. That made our guys confident in their shots. From +/- POV, Dunn again has the worst one on the team followed by Allen. Fleming has improved a lot, is quick and big and active on both sides, much better potential going forward than Dunn.

 

[Yuma]

Lakers is not a good defensive team. That made our guys confident in their shots. From +/- POV, Dunn again has the worst one on the team followed by Allen. Fleming has improved a lot, is quick and big and active on both sides, much better potential going forward than Dunn.

I will say, Dunn and Fleming played the best on Luka. When Green switched onto Luka, Luka was licking his chops and scoring. I know the current vogue is to switch, but maybe for Luka we should try and play man defense?

 

[Germz249]

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Why is he CelebAyton? Has his hands up like he knew it was going in..

 

[Carolinacacti]

This game put a huge smile on my face. I bet all those Laker fans in the stadium walked out with their head down

 

[Chaplin]

At #7, we are closer to the 3 seed than we are to the 9 seed in the West. That is pretty wild.

 

[Adrian]

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[JosiahLee]

Suns got real lucky Reaves missed that corner three.

Terrible defense there. Felt like he had three seconds to shoot it uncontested.

 

[JosiahLee]

Also, Jalen Green… WTF? I understood he was a bit of a better stats than actual player on Houston, but he has been flat out horrendous since coming back.

I heard on the radio, only four players in the NBA with at least 100 shot attempts are shooting worse than 36%, and he is one of those players.

He’s making Houston look like geniuses with each passing game. Hopefully he can turn it around soon.

 

[BooksOrangePlanet]

im still riding that win - talk about a happy ending - we gotta look.up how many game winning shots the suns have made this year because damn - i think oneale is like the 5th player to hit a chicken dinner on the suns

 

[Covert Rain]

Even without some of our guys one of the most satisfying wins of the season. A couple things.

Jalen - I think the Suns have to worry about Jalen's impact to this team. Since coming back he has been an awful shooter only occasionally hitting a shot to keep them honest. He needs to learn to get to the FT line if his shot isn't falling. Because he isn't a great defender he is useless on the court if his shot isn't falling right now. Using him as a decoy to draw attention isn't going to last much longer if he keeps playing this poorly. Maybe he should be coming off the bench.

Allen - Grayson has been frustrating this season with the injuries but this is yet another game that shows how critical he is to this team. He can change the direction of a game just on his shooting alone. It's so annoying whenever fans bring up trade scenarios, Grayson is the first person they mention. IMO he has been critical to the Suns success and not easily replaceable. The injuries though have been frustrating.

 

[BooksOrangePlanet]

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[Mainstreet]

Terrible defense there. Felt like he had three seconds to shoot it uncontested.

IIRC, it was .9 seconds, but Reaves indeed, was wide open.

 

[Mainstreet]

I thought the Lakers seemed unfocused to start but yeah, for most of the game we had their full attention. I said we had a chance to win but I'm surprised, almost shocked, that we actually pulled it off.

No matter how one looks at it, the win was a pleasant surprise. They gave it everything they had.

Kudos to Jordan Ott for playing his bench when the team needed to dig deeper.

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