Player Grades: Lakers vs. Suns

The first game back home after a road trip is about as textbook a trap game as they come in the NBA. Teams relax mentally after getting off the road and often fail to lock back in, which was the worry for the Lakers, who needed to snap their losing streak with urgency.

Fortunately, the Phoenix Suns are very unserious franchise.

The Suns are absolutely free falling, not just in regards to this season but the future of the organization. The Lakers came in and took care of business on Sunday, getting back in the win column and earning an important win to stay in the middle of the Western Conference standings.

So, let’s dive into the win. As always, grades are based on expectations for each player. A “B” grade represents the average performance for that player.

Jordan Goodwin

28 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 1-5 FG, 0-3 3PT, -3

A surprise start for Goodwin, who did most of his work on the defensive end. It’s not his stat line that should indicate how well he played, but instead Devin Booker’s. Goodwin was matched up on Booker all day and the superstar guard finished 6-17 from the field and 0-3 from range.

Grade: B+

Dorian Finney-Smith

36 minutes, 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 3-7 FG, 2-6 3PT, 2-4 FT, +16

For 46 minutes, this was a pretty bad DFS game. Then, he knocked down a corner three that seemed to seal it before tipping in a putback that did seal it.

Also, despite how bad it may have felt he played, he walked away with a game-high plus-minus of +16. That’s a regular occurrence for him.

Grade: B

Jaxson Hayes

29 minutes, 19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 8-10 FG, 3-7 FT, +7

Welcome back, Jaxson Hayes.

This was a bit a case of not knowing what you have until it’s gone. While Hayes was valued by fans for his performances the second half of the season, spending a week without him showed just how valuable he is.

The Suns opened up the game in pick-and-roll coverage that, uh, did not work as it gave Hayes runway after runway down the center of the lane. He turned that into eight first-quarter points, and that was even with him going 2-5 at the line.

Grade: A+

Austin Reaves

39 minutes, 28 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 10-21 FG, 4-10 3PT, 4-5 FT, +14

This is second game running that Reaves and Luka Dončić have looked really good together. If you’re thinking about what life after LeBron looks like, we’re seeing some glimpses of it and it surely is encouraging.

Grade: A-

Luka Dončić

40 minutes, 33 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 8-20 FG, 4-11 3PT, 13-14 FT, +16

The Suns passed on Luka in the draft many years ago and he’s made it his mission to humiliate them every chance he gets. Here are his last seven games, including Sunday, against Phoenix:

33 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists30 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists40 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists41 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists34 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists50 points, 6 rebounds, 15 assists

34 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists

In fact, if you take out a late January game in 2023 where he played three minutes before suffering an injury, the last time Luka finished with fewer than 25 points against Phoenix was IN THE BUBBLE.

He gets to play them four times a year now.

Thank you Nico Harrison

Grade: A

Gabe Vincent

27 minutes, 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3-7 FG, 3-5 3PT, +15

Not the most prolific game for Vincent, but one where he did hit some timely buckets. Specifically, his 3-pointer in the third quarter came when the Suns were on an 11-2 run to cut the lead to eight.

Those are the type of pressure shots that should give you confidence about how valuable he’ll be in the playoffs.

Grade: B

Christian Koloko

15 minutes, 3 points, 4 rebounds, 1-5 FG, 1-2 FT, -1

It’s a little bit of hot and cold right now for Koloko. He didn’t play all that well against Milwaukee, bounced back with a really good game against Denver then was pretty rough again on Sunday.

He had a couple of looks at the rim that he missed, and when that’s one of your main areas of strength, it can lead to some frustrating outings when it’s not clicking.

Grade: D

Jarred Vanderbilt

10 minutes, 3 rebounds, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT, -5

Kind of a quiet night for Vando. The only thing of note that he did was miss a 3-pointer well wide of the target in the first half. He barely even meets the threshold for a grade. It’s the fewest minutes he’s played since the win in Denver when he nearly averaged a foul per minute.

Grade: D+

Dalton Knecht

16 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1-5 FG, 1-3 3PT, -4

A much quieter night for Knecht after his big game in Denver. He had some opportunities to make plays in the first half, but after it was pretty clear he didn’t have it, he only played one shift in the second half before making way.

Grade: C

JJ Redick

A pretty solid game from Redick, who had the Lakers prepared from the jump. That strong first quarter really catapulted them to a relatively comfortable win.