Phoenix Suns 99-90 LA Lakers: Twitter erupts as LeBron James' heavily favored squad falls to Devin Booker and co. in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs
Despite being the 2nd seed, the Phoenix Suns entered the series as underdogs and grabbed the win in Game 1 against the LA Lakers. After outplaying the defending champions throughout the game, Chris Paul and co. claimed a well deserved 99-90 win. The LA Lakers' Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma struggled, while the Suns' Devin Booker put on a show. DeAndre Ayton got the best of his matchups in the paint and put on an amazing debut playoff performance.
The LA Lakers only held a 2-point lead early in the 1st quarter and trailed for the majority of the game. They simply couldn't cut the lead down no matter what rotation coach Frank Vogel deployed. Naturally, "Laker Nation" erupted on Twitter, passing blame on every other player as they expressed their collective disbelief over the outcome of Game 1.
Twitter reacts as Chris Paul goes down early in the game and Devin Booker puts on a show
This game had everything you would want in a playoff game. Defensive intensity was high, things got heated between players, the game went down to the wire and was graced by masterful performances by the superstars. Chris Paul awkwardly fell on his right shoulder and was sent to the locker room as fans in the Phoenix Suns arena held their breath. He eventually returned and the crowd was elated. Meanwhile, Devin Booker was putting on a show in what would eventually be known as the best playoff debut by a Suns player in franchise history.
Twitter responds to the in-game fight between LA Lakers and Phoenix Suns
A major highlight of the afternoon playoff game was a fight that broke out on the floor resulting in the ejection of Phoenix Suns' Cameron Payne. Several players, including Montrezl Harrell, Alex Caruso and Devin Booker, were also involved and a host of technicals were handed out by the officials. The fight added an extra edge to the game and naturally, Twitter had fun with the moment.
LeBron James posted 18 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds along with 3 steals but unfortunately it wasn't enough to will his team to win. We shall see how the defending champions LA Lakers bounce back from this defeat in Game 2 against this young and hungry Phoenix Suns side. In the end, after an incredible game that had almost all the drama and intensity that you'd expect from a playoff game, everyone was left with one thought: