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The Los Angeles Lakers walked out of Phoenix with a win on Sunday night, but it came far closer to disaster than the final score suggested. After leading by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles briefly trailed in the final seconds before LeBron James’ late free throws secured the victory. For Deandre Ayton, the night carried extra weight.
Facing the Suns in Phoenix, the franchise that drafted him first overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, Ayton delivered a strong performance with 20 points and 13 rebounds. More than the stat line, however, it was the emotional intensity of the game that stood out to the Lakers big man.
Ayton acknowledged how quickly the temperature rose on the floor, via Spectrum SportsNet.
“Honestly, it was an emotional game,” Ayton said speaking after the win. “We played with a lot of edge. It just carried on over in late stretches of the game. Hats off to officials having patience with us, as well, because it really could’ve gotten a lot uglier. They managed it for us in a way where we could compete at the highest level.”
Ayton’s history with the Suns is complicated. He was a central piece of Phoenix’s run to the 2021 NBA Finals before being moved to Portland less than two years later in what was widely viewed as a salary-driven decision. Sunday marked another chance for him to perform in front of a fan base that once embraced him.
Despite the Suns’ furious comeback, Ayton said the Lakers remained composed during the chaos of the closing minutes.
“We were pretty calm. It was really the arena, they loved it,” Ayton said. “They were into it down the stretch. Just the excitement and the environment, it wasn’t really us. We weren’t worried about what was going on, we were just locked in and focused.”
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