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December 17, 2025 27 mins

The Los Angeles Lakers escape Phoenix with a wild road win — but it wasn’t pretty.

On this episode of Benched, Allen Maldonado and Coach Dave Miller break down the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Lakers’ victory over the Phoenix Suns.

🏀 Topics include:
• LeBron James getting TURNED UP
• The Lakers’ bench saving the game
• Turnovers, momentum swings & late-game chaos
• Why Marcus Smart ended up BENCHED
• Old-school NBA intensity (LeBron vs Dillon Brooks)
• Vando’s impact & rotation questions moving forward

If you love real basketball talk, unfiltered opinions, and classic NBA energy — this one’s for you.

👉 Like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell so you never miss an episode of Benched.

⏱️ CHAPTERS (YouTube Timestamp Ready)

00:00 – Welcome to Benched
00:27 – Lakers vs Suns: Naughty & Nice Breakdown
00:50 – The Good: Road Win & Bench Energy
01:30 – The Bad & Ugly: Turnovers & Collapse
02:10 – Playing Not to Lose vs Playing to Win
03:28 – Did the Lakers Win… or Did the Suns Lose?
04:52 – Momentum Killer: Marcus Smart’s Pass
05:31 – LeBron & the Technical Free Throw Confusion
07:01 – “Bad Game” = 29 Points?!
07:45 – The Bench SAVED the Lakers
09:56 – Vando’s DNPs to Game Changer
12:38 – What Do the Lakers Do With the Rotation Now?
14:47 – LeBron vs Dillon Brooks: Old-School Energy
17:13 – LeBron’s Most Intense Game in a While
20:28 – NBA Rivalries: Magic vs Bird & More
25:36 – Who’s BENCHED This Week? (Target & Marcus Smart)
27:30 – Final Thoughts & Outro

#Lakers
#LakersVsSuns
#LeBronJames
#NBAPodcast
#NBAAnalysis
#Benched
#BasketballTalk
#LakeShow
#NBADebate
#SportsPodcast

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