Coming off an impressive win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Opening Night, the Los Angeles Lakers played host to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Like the Lakers, the Suns came into the matchup with a 1-0 record meaning the loser of the game would end up with their first loss of the 2024-25 season. Through the first quarter, it certainly seemed that Los Angeles would be on the losing end of the game as they came out flat on both ends of the floor while Phoenix barely missed any of their 3-point attempts.
However, the team was able to chip away at the deficit slowly but surely and eventually rallied in the second half to beat the Suns 123-116 and improve to 2-0.
Anthony Davis is quickly establishing himself as an early MVP candidate as he was once again at the center of the Lakers’ win. Davis was the leader on both ends of the floor, creating things for himself or his teammates in the half court while doing his job on the defensive end guarding the painted area.
Phoenix had no answers for Davis, who torched them from the field, shooting 11-of-18 en route to a game-high 35 points. He stuffed the rest of the stat sheet as well, recording eight rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks in 38 minutes of action.
Like Davis, Austin Reaves has had a strong start to the regular season and was a key cog in the team’s win over Phoenix as he came up huge in the second half as a scorer. Reaves was able to take advantage of some clean looks from beyond the arc and was the catalyst for the Lakers’ second-half run.
Reaves was also a willing passer, moving the basketball to the open man and getting his teammates good looks. He finished the night behind Davis in the scoring column, dropping 26 points on 8-of-12 from the field including 5-of-7 from the 3-point line. He also added eight assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block.
LeBron James took a little bit of time getting himself situated in the game, but eventually found his groove offensively. James did his part to complete the comeback and ultimately finished the night with 21 points and eight assists.
What’s next for Lakers
Unfortunately, the Lakers don’t get much time to rest as they’re back out on the floor on Saturday to take on the Sacramento Kings. They’ll then play their first away game of the year on Monday in a rematch against the Suns.
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