The Lakers cruise to a victory over the Suns behind LeBron James’s strong play in the fourth quarter.
The Suns were missing injured talents Devin Booker & Bradley Beal, but they were led by Kevin Durant, who scored 39 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the game.
The Suns had an 84-72 lead going into the fourth quarter, but they went cold from the field, missing 13 out the next 14 shots, and turning the ball over 10 times in the next ten minutes.
By scoring on two consecutive possessions, Kevin Durant was able to tie the game at 91 with 1:28 left to play, and in the process, he moved over Hakeem Olajuwon to take the 12th spot on the all-time scoring list for the NBA.
However, James responded by making back-to-back layups, which were sandwiched around a missed 3-pointer by Durant. Additionally, Austin Reaves and Davis made free throws in the waning seconds of the game.
Jordan Goodwin was Phoenix’s best defender against Los Angeles. He scored 12 points, grabbed five boards (all of which came from missed shots by the Lakers), dished out two assists, and stole two balls.
It was likely the first time that Durant and James had competed against each other on an NBA court since Christmas 2018.
Injuries, handling of loads, and other health and safety regulations prohibited them from playing in any of the previous 13 matchups between James’ Lakers and Durant’s Warriors, Nets, and Suns.
The All-Star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis carried the scoring load for the Los Angeles Lakers (1-1), who outscored the Phoenix Suns 28-11 in the fourth quarter.
James contributed a game-high nine assists & eight rebounds in addition to scoring 10 of his game-high 21 points.
Davis finished with a game-high three blocks, in addition to team highs of 30 points, 13 rebounds, three thefts, and three rebounds.
Kevin Durant led the Suns to victory with a game-high 39 points on shooting 50 percent from the field. He also had a game-high 11 rebounds, two assists, and a block, but he was also the player who turned the ball over the most.
However, it wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing game. First of all, Kevin Durant’s two most significant colleagues on the Suns, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, were both out with injuries, which is not a good development for a club that already had a limited amount of depth to begin with.
The fact that Durant carried the Suns up a double-digit lead by the finish of the third quarter made it appear as though this did not matter for the most of the game.
In the second game of the season, the Suns faced a full-strength Lakers squad in their own arena.
A victory against the Lakers would have been a huge statement for the teams that are expected to contend this year, but unfortunately, the offense for the Suns completely disintegrated to an unbelievable degree.
The Suns managed to tally three points between the beginning of the fourth quarter and the last two minutes of play.
A three on a three-pointer made by Durant. The Lakers weren’t playing at their highest level, but it was not necessary for them to do so.
During that 10-minute stretch, they outscored the Suns 19-3, despite the fact that Durant was having an ice cold game and none among his teammates looked like NBA-caliber players offensively.
Poor shooting, poor ball handling, and poor communication It was a string of poor decisions, which is never a good strategy when playing against James and Anthony Davis.
The only basket scored by the Suns in the period came from Jordan Goodwin with ten seconds left on the clock. All Suns players not named Kevin shot a combined 1 for 9 from the field in the period.
At the end of the game, James finished with 21 points, 9 assists, eight rebounds, two steals, two blocks, & five turnovers, while Durant finished with 39 points, 11 rebounds, and shot 14 of 28 from the field.
The Suns were able to outscore the Lakers with 18 points while he was on the court for 39 minutes, but they were defeated by 23 points when he was taken off the court for nine minutes.
Those who hoped that the Suns had assembled the kind of backing group that is necessary to get it through games without superstars did not have the best night on Wednesday.
At Crypto.com Arena, in their first regular campaign meeting in 1,766 days, LeBron James as Kevin Durant fought toe-to-toe in a nail-biting finish as the Lakers stormed home for a comeback win of 100-95. It was the Lakers’ first victory over the Warriors in 1,766 days.
The Lakers entered the fourth quarter trailing the Suns by eight points, but they outscored the Suns 28-11 in the final period to get their first win of the season in their home opener.
LeBron James came up with a couple of big shots down the line to help the Lakers earn their first victory of the season.
James played 35 minutes, like the entire fourth quarter, recording 21 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, two steals, alongside two blocks, while Anthony Davis finished with 30 points, 12 rebounds, three steals, as well as three blocks in the win.
There was talk of a minutes restriction after their first game, but James played all 35 minutes and recorded 21 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Due to injuries, both Bradley Beal with Devin Booker were unable to play in tonight’s game, which allowed Kevin Durant to take the offensive reins for the Suns.
Durant finished the game with 39 points, 11 rebounds, and 14-of-28 shooting from the field, moving him over Hakeem Olajuwon into 12th place on the all-time scoring list.