The Phoenix Suns, fueled by 47 points from Devin Booker, toppled the NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers 113-100 on Thursday, handing superstar LeBron James his first first-round playoff exit.

James scored 29 points to lead the Lakers, but they were unable to dig themselves out of a 29-point first-half hole and lost the best-of-seven Western Conference series four games to two.

The last defending NBA champion to be knocked out in the first round was the San Antonio Spurs in 2015.

 

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