LeBron James remains a "championship pillar" of the team, said Los Angeles Lakers general manager. (Photo credit: Instagram/lakers)
- The Phoenix Suns ended the Lakers' NBA title defense in emphatic style on Thursday
- It marked the first time in 15 playoff appearances that James was eliminated in the first round
- LeBron James is a four-time NBA champion
LA Lakers will have to do without Anthony Davis for a little while. (AFP file photo)
- Chris Paul had 18 points and nine assists
- Crowder also had his best game so far, scoring 17 points
- LeBron James scored a team-high 25 points and had 12 rebounds for the Lakers
.Los Angeles, CA, USA
Los Angeles Lakers's LeBron James (L) scored 21 points and nine assists in games against Phoenix Suns. (Photo credit: Twitter/ @NBA)
- Los Angeles Lakers defeated the short-handed Phoenix Suns 109-95 in a heated playoff game on Thursday
- Milwaukee Bucks grabbed a 113-84 thrashing win against the Miami Heat
- Anthony Davis scored 34 points and 11 rebounds and LeBron James delivered 21 points and nine assists
.Phoenix, AZ, USA
Anthony Davis and LeBron James scored a total of 57 points together in the match. (Photo credit: Instagram/@lakers)
- The neck-and-neck match resulted in a close 109-102 win for the Los Angeles Lakers
- Both third and fourth quarters of the match ended in tied scores
- Anthony Davis put up an all-round performance for the Lakers, scoring 31 points
.Los Angeles, CA, USA
NBA MVP Joel Embiid missed last Sunday's All Star Game due to COVID-19 restrictions. (Photo Credit: Twitter/@sixers)
- Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embid was playing his first game after receiving a negative test for COVID-19 earlier Friday
- Philadelphia beat the Washington Wizards 127-101 to stay atop the Eastern Conference
- Los Angeles Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 105-100 for their fourth win in the last 11 games
.Los Angeles, CA, USA
Anthony Davis is averaging 22.5 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this season. (Photo Credit: Instagram/