Shaquille O'Neal had a bit of a payback for a previous loss against his former team when he led the Phoenix Suns to a 118-111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Big Cactus scored 33 points in a game where Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire sat out because of injuries. Matt Barnes, Leandro Barbosa, and Grant Hill stepped up big time to upset the Lakers.
Speaking of the Lakers, it was a very imbalanced game for the squad-- Kobe Bryant scored 49 points, Pau Gasol scored 30, but the rest of the eight players who played only scored 32 points together! The team continued their shooting slump that started in their game in Denver, but it was their defense that did them in. The Suns shot mostly uncontested shots (as evidenced by Shaq's high FG% for the game), and only Jason Richardson was the only Sun starter that shot less than 50%.
Energy-wise, the Lakers are flat. If they meet the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs with this level of energy, we're looking at Dallas Mavericks-Golden State Warriors 2007 Part 2.
Technorati: Los Angeles Lakers
I would not say stomp. That is a little harsh, maybe a slight beating...
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