Doncic's 41-point effort not enough as Lakers lose third game in a row

Royce O'Neale drained a game-winning three-pointer with less than a second on the clock as Phoenix condemned the Lakers to a third straight defeat.

Despite a heroic 41-point, eight-rebound, and eight-assist performance from Luka Doncic, the Lakers couldn't overcome a barrage of three-pointers from a depleted Suns team. Phoenix, playing without stars Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks, connected on 22 shots from beyond the arc.

The Lakers, who have now lost three consecutive games for the third time this season, have found themselves on the wrong end of close contests. After a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, they fell by one point to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

This latest defeat came after they erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit, only to see their efforts undone at the buzzer.

"Our losses are louder than other teams’ because we’re the Lakers and because of the way we lose," said coach JJ Redick.

"Tonight was a one-possession clutch game, which, now we’ve lost a few of those. But we’ve been great for the most part in the clutch all year."

The Lakers (34-24) will look to snap their losing streak when they travel to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors on Saturday.