3 takeaways: Lakers lose Game 4 as Suns tie series, 2-2

Three takeaways from the Los Angeles Lakers’ Game 4 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped Game 4 at home as the Phoenix Suns claimed a 100-92 victory.

The series is now knotted at 2-2 with Game 5 occurring in Phoenix.

Los Angeles looked sloppy from the opening tipoff. They finally made some 3-pointers, a huge struggle for the team in the first three games, but couldn’t muster quality looks at the paint.

The Lakers took it up a notch in the early stages of the second quarter, opening up an 11-point lead with LeBron James throwing down big dunks and Ben McLemore getting involved with 3-pointers.

However, as Phoenix fought back, Anthony Davis went down with a left groin strain towards the end of the half and wouldn’t return for the rest of the game.

Phoenix outscored L.A. 27-15 in the third quarter, putting them in prime position to steal a game on the road. Though Los Angeles attempted a comeback to make it a single-digit deficit, Phoenix’s defense came through to seal the win.

Here are three takeaways from Game 4: