LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul had 18 points and nine assists, Devin Booker and Jae Crowder added 17 points apiece and the Phoenix Suns evened their first-round series with a 100-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 on Sunday.
Deandre Ayton had 14 points and 17 rebounds for the second-seeded Suns, who took advantage of Anthony Davis’ absence from the second half because of a groin injury to reclaim home-court advantage after two straight losses.
LeBron James had 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Lakers, who fell too far behind in the third quarter while Davis was being evaluated in the locker room. Before a last-minute surge, Los Angeles struggled in the absence of starters Davis and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who injured his knee in Game 3.
Game 5 is Tuesday night in Phoenix.
Davis scored six points on 2-for-9 shooting in the first half, then didn’t return after halftime. The superstar big man scored 34 points in each of the Lakers’ two victories in the series, but he hyperextended his leg in Game 3 and appeared to aggravate his accumulated injuries in the second quarter of Game 4, falling awkwardly and grabbing his leg after a layup attempt defended by Crowder.
HAWKS 113, KNICKS 96: Trae Young scored 27 points, John Collins added 22 despite a smack to the lip, and Atlanta frustrated Julius Randle again, pulling away from the visiting Knicks in the second half to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
The Hawks will look to wrap up their first playoff series victory since 2016 when they travel to Madison Square Garden for Game 5 on Wednesday night.
Atlanta took control in the third quarter, stretching a four-point edge at the half to an 88-71 lead going to the final quarter.
After struggling to hit shots, Atlanta suddenly found its range. The Hawks were 10 of 19 in the quarter, including 5 of 9 beyond the arc. Young scored nine points, Collins added seven, and Bogdan Bogdanovic closed out the third with a 3-pointer that had the big crowd bouncing in their seats.
Randle was serenaded again by chants of “Overrated! Overrated! Overrated!” every time he put one up. The roars were deafening after a sequence in the third when Randle missed on a drive and had a put-back rim out before the Knicks knocked the ball out of bounds.
Randle’s frustration boiled over less than a minute later when he slammed Collins to the court on another drive. Nothing was called initially, but Randle was assessed an offensive foul after a video review prompted by a challenge from Hawks Coach Nate McMillan.
Randle did have his highest-scoring game of the series with 23 points, but he was just 7 of 19 from the field and found himself surrounded by black-clad players every time he touched the ball.