Bol poster, Allen buzzer beater punctuate highest-scoring quarter for Suns in win vs. Lakers

The Phoenix Suns dropped a season-high 45 first quarter points to spring ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at Footprint Center and held on for a 123-113 win.

Phoenix (34-24) capped the early outburst with emphasis, as reserve center Bol Bol slammed a dunk past the outstretched arms of Lakers (31-28) forward Rui Hachimura with 20 seconds remaining. Bol had seven points on 3-for-3 shooting in just under six minutes during the opening period as the first sub off the bench following a 25-point performance Friday at the Houston Rockets.

BOL BOL. 🔥🔥

pic.twitter.com/Mp9KO7y3v8

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 25, 2024

Hachimura responded with a triple, leaving the Suns 4.2 seconds to work with.

Devin Booker gave up the ball to the open Grayson Allen, who took it down court and pulled up from the top of the key. He splashed the jumper after releasing the ball with less than a second on the clock to give the Suns a 45-28 advantage early. Sunday marked the 11th time in franchise history Phoenix scored 45-plus points in the first quarter of a game, last doing so in March 2022 against the Lakers.

Oh, did we mention there was a BB at the end of the first? 🚨

Yeah. YEAH. pic.twitter.com/SBhreBuMv0

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) February 25, 2024

The Lakers made runs at Phoenix, but the Suns closed out Los Angeles in the fourth quarter after clutch triples from Allen and Royce O’Neale. The duo combined to hit a dozen 3-pointers on 22 shots. Allen led Phoenix with 24 points, but four players eclipsed 20 and all five starters scored at least 18. Jusuf Nurkic scored 18 points with 22 boards.

The Suns’ first quarter was quite the response from Phoenix’s two losses out of the All-Star break, especially in an impactful matchup in the Western Conference landscape. The Suns entered Sunday 2.5 games up on the Lakers for the No. 8 seed.

The highest-scoring quarter from any team this season is a 51-point period by the Lakers against the New Orleans Pelicans.

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