Newsletter: Devin Booker’s flagrant foul shows Suns are done

Hey, it’s Dan Woike, Lakers beat writer from the Los Angeles Times, with no time for any sort of funny email references to start this week’s newsletter because time is of the essence. And … the Phoenix Suns are on the clock.

The NBA rewards teams for their adaptability in the playoffs, for their toughness, talent and resilience. And it’s not always fair.

Chris Paul and the second-seeded Suns are on their way to being the latest team to have to reckon with this, circumstances completely out of their control, rewarding them with the surging Lakers after Phoenix had its best season in a decade. The Lakers lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 after a 109-95 victory Thursday night at Staples Center.

The beginning of Suns’ end

The seeding was the first bit of bad luck, Paul’s all-to-common postseason injury coming in the series’ first game was the next. After getting pushed around by the suddenly engaged Lakers in their last two games, they’ve seemingly had enough.

And the signs are everywhere.

It started pregame when coach Monty Williams told the media that his Suns team should expect to be on the wrong side of the whistles because they’re young and have not accomplished what the Lakers have, a not-so-subtle attempt to try to work the referees.

It happened in the game when Paul again couldn’t be trusted to be an offensive threat, his bruised right shoulder forcing him to throw the ball toward the basket more than he can shoot it. And for the second straight game, Williams saw his star point guard look so impaired that he benched him.

Lakers

Lakers shut down Devin Booker in Game 3, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is injured

Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope helped contain Suns guard Devin Booker in Game 3, but left the game because of an injury. His status is unclear.

May 28, 2021

Then it happened in the final minutes when Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker shoved Dennis Schroder on a drive to the basket, picking up a flagrant foul 2 and an automatic ejection. Phoenix forward Jae Crowder, a longtime LeBron James nemesis, was kicked out of the game shortly after because a replay showed he gave Schroder a shove in midair as well.

“I thought the play wasn’t a basketball play,” James said.

No, it was desperation and frustration, the Lakers winning on a night when they didn’t consistently make shots and somehow still made it look easy. James was unguardable, relentlessly attacking Crowder while the crowd howled. There was Anthony Davis, dominant for the second straight game as the Suns continued to try to find ways to stop him without fouling.

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Highlights from the Lakers’ Game 3 playoff win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.

It culminated with a quick Suns implosion.

“Physical game all game, guys chirping — me/Jae, Jae/Bron, Dennis/Book. [Deandre] Ayton had some words. But that’s playoff basketball,” Davis said. “Guys gonna chirp, guys gonna talk, but we can’t allow plays like that to happen, just out there, two hands. Whether it was out of frustration or not, it was a scary play. Luckily Dennis is all right, but sometimes it can end badly for a player so we don’t want to let the chirping lead to something like that.”

Yet considering the Suns’ situation, it was probably inevitable, the Lakers getting to them physically in Game 2 — and now mentally.

“End of the day, we’re competing and doing everything, you know, to get in people’s heads and whatever,” Schroder said.

And, based on the Suns’ reaction to him and the Lakers, they’re deep in there.

Mother not mutter

Schroder probably isn’t an innocent party in all of this back and forth — a competitive, feisty, pestering player who isn’t afraid to talk a little junk.

But his mother didn’t raise him to start any problems — just to respond to them.

“My mom raised me right. At the end of the day, when somebody talks to me first, I’m gonna talk back,” Schroder said. “It don’t matter who it is. If somebody talks to me disrespectfully, I’m gonna do the same thing.

“So at the end of the day, we gonna battle then. Nobody’s gonna disrespect me. … I just talk back, and somebody took it too sensitive, and fouled me.”

A note on fans

Incidents in Philadelphia, New York and Utah resulted in ticket holders being punished for disrespectful language and actions directed at players or their families, and sadly, there was some of that at Staples Center on Thursday.

The crowd broke into multiple “F — you, Crowder” chants — the kind of lowest-common-denominator chanting that just makes everyone involved look dumb.

Lakers-Suns schedule for first-round playoff series.

(Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)

And postgame, a bunch of fans stuck around to harass Suns players going through postgame workouts on the court. None of it elevated to the level of what happened in New York, where someone spat on Trae Young, or what happened in Utah when fans hassled Ja Morant’s parents. But it wasn’t endearing behavior, either.

Rant over. Feel free to curse at me now.

Song of the Week

I’m just struck by the Suns’ youth — and at times, immaturity. If only there were a perfect song that captured this …

Phoenix — Too Young (live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQowwQMm4DI

Since we last spoke ...

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• Lakers send Game 3 message: LeBron James and Co. are on the rise
• Exclusive: Lakers extend Staples Center lease for 20 years
• Lakers even series against Suns with physical play in Game 2 win
• Marc Gasol was at center of some Lakers adjustments in Game 2 against Suns
• From clunker to classic, Anthony Davis and Lakers are back
• Dennis Schroder, Andre Drummond play pivotal roles in Lakers Game 2 win
• The NBA explains why Lakers star LeBron James was not suspended for attending event
• Lakers struggle while Suns overcome Chris Paul injury to win Game 1