February 26, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen (8) celebrates with forward Lasire Fleming (20) during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Image Royce O’Neill hit a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left to give the host Phoenix Suns a 113-110 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday as they overcame a 13-point second-half deficit.
O’Neale gave the Suns a 110-108 lead on their previous possession before LeBron James’ tip-in tied the game with 22.7 seconds left. The Suns had one shot and Grayson Allen drove the lane and kicked it to Collin Gillespie, who found O’Neale wide open on the left wing.
Allen scored 28 points and made six 3-pointers, while Gillespie had 21 points and made six 3-pointers. The Suns won three more of the first four, with one matchup coming in Los Angeles on April 10, as they won the season series behind Luka Doncic’s 41-point performance.
Doncic recorded six 3-pointers, eight assists, and eight rebounds, falling short of his seventh triple-double of the season. He was 12 of 21 from the field and made 11 of 12 free throw attempts.
O’Neal scored 13 points and made three 3-pointers as the Suns made 22 of 50 shots (44%) from beyond the arc. They had scored 77 and 81 points respectively in their previous two games, their lowest points total of the season.
James had 10 of his 15 points in the second half and Marcus Smart had 14 points for the Lakers, who finished with 5 of 7 points and finished sixth in the Western Conference, a game ahead of the Suns.
Phoenix went on a 13-0 run that included a six-point possession to take a 96-86 lead with 7:43 left. Gillespie hit a 3-pointer and a free throw to give the ball back to the Suns after former Sun Deandre Ayton called for a blatant shutout.
Oso Ighodaro completed the possession with a dunk and the Suns pushed their lead to as large as 101-89 before the Lakers recovered.
Doncic’s sixth 3-pointer put the Lakers up 103-101 with three minutes left, and Gillespie countered with his sixth 3-pointer.
Jake Larabia made two free throws with 1 minute and 29 seconds left to reduce the deficit to 108-105, and then Austin Reaves’ 3-pointer tied the game at 108.
The Lakers scored the first 11 points of the third quarter on a 25-4 run starting midway through the second quarter. Ayton’s first score, a dunk, made it 60-49 with 8:05 left in the third quarter.
–Field level media
