For the second time this preseason, the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Phoenix Suns, although this time they hit the road looking to avenge their previous loss.
The Lakers got some of their key pieces back in the lineup with Luka Doncic and Marcus Smart making their preseason debuts, although LeBron James, Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and others sat out. The Suns were also without most of their regulars including Devin Booker, but they still pulled ahead in the second half to earn a 113-104 victory over the Lakers
Doncic missed his first shot on a step-back triple but them immediately responded with a three-point play on a drive to get L.A. on the scoreboard. Deandre Ayton was making his presence felt early with a pair of buckets, four rebounds and a block to give the Lakers an 11-9 lead.
After a timeout, the Lakers turned defense into offense and went on a 17-4 run with Doncic creating for himself and teammates. He had 10 points and a pair of assists in the first quarter, giving L.A. a 29-22 lead.
The Lakers’ energy level was low to begin the second quarter, although Doncic and Austin Reaves got them back on track with back-to-back triples.
Doncic (22) and Reaves (18) combined for 40 points in the first half and the Lakers went into the locker room with a 66-56 lead.
The Lakers’ starters were still in to begin the third quarter and Doncic and Reaves continued to dominate. They played one shift before calling it a night, and Doncic finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists on 7-of-15 shooting while Reaves had 25 points, four rebounds and two assists on 8-of-16 shooting.
Despite the scoring outbursts from the Lakers’ backcourt though, the Suns hung around and eventually regained the lead, taking an 89-83 advantage into the fourth with L.A.’s defense being nonexistent.
As has been the case all preseason, the fourth quarter was a chance for the two-way and Exhibit 10 players to show what they can do. Nick Smith Jr. and Nate Williams both flashed their potential, but Jordan Goodwin and the Suns were able to close out the victory.
Jared Butler had a really strong night for Phoenix, leading all scorers with 35 points in 33 minutes.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers have two more preseason games before opening up the regular season against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21. They will first head to Las Vegas to take on the Dallas Mavericks in the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday before wrapping up the preseason back home against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.
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