The Los Angeles Lakers picked up their first win of the young season on Thursday night, coming back to beat Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, who were without Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
The Lakers slept-walked through most of their home opener as they found themselves trailing by 12 at the end of the third quarter before turning it on in the fourth.
As usual, LeBron James led the way with some massive buckets down the stretch, attacking the rim at will. James played the entire fourth quarter, going over his minutes restriction, and finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks.
It marked the first time that he and Durant had squared off since Christmas 2018, and the stars did not disappoint despite them getting up there in age.
Durant led his team with 39 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, although he did have eight turnovers, clearly missing his co-stars that typically handle the ball. Christian Wood did a solid job of defending Durant down the stretch and finished with seven points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Anthony Davis had a monster bounce-back game for L.A. after going scoreless in the second half of the season opener. He had 13 points in the fourth quarter alone in this one, leading the Lakers with 30 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and three steals in 39 minutes.
What really won the game for the Lakers was their defense in the fourth quarter. Darvin Ham opted to keep both James and Davis in for the entirety of the period, and they along with Wood forced Durant and the Suns into some tough shots and untimely turnovers, leading to much-needed fastbreak opportunities.
Although it wasn’t pretty and the Suns were missing two of their top players, the Lakers will take any win they can get as their first of the year in hopes of avoiding the disastrous 2-10 start that had them battling uphill all of last season.
Up next for the Lakers…
The Lakers now get a couple of days off before they go back on the road to take on the division rival Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. That is the first of a back-to-back as they return home and host the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
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