Despite losing two of its stars, Phoenix outperformed Los Angeles by doing all the grunt work. In the first quarter, the Suns outrebounded L.A. 17–10, and even though LeBron James didn’t score, they were ahead by 12.Los Angeles overcame a 28-11 deficit in the fourth quarter to win their home opener 100-95.
In a strong comeback performance, Anthony Davis scored thirty points and pulled down thirteen rebounds. LeBron James, who played 35 minutes, including the last fifteen, successfully sealed the victory with a pair of layups in the closing seconds.
The Lakers’ victory was ugly—they shot 17.2% from three as a team and were outrebounded 49–43—but a win is a win, and strong teams can overcome adversity and still come out on top.
A healthy dosage of Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell, two players who clearly struggled in the game, helped L.A. start the game on a 7-0 run.
According to @cleantheglass, Phoenix has rebounded 42.9% of their own misses so far.
— Alex Regla (@AlexmRegla) October 27, 2023
Despite losing two of its stars, Phoenix outperformed Los Angeles by doing all the grunt work. In the first quarter, the Suns outrebounded L.A. 17–10, and even though LeBron James didn’t score, they were ahead by 12.
Choosing to start the second quarter with Russell and James in a bench trio, L.A. eventually got James on the scoreboard with the Lakers’ first basket of the quarter. Following a three from Davis, Russell kept up his offensive leadership while accepting his defensive responsibilities. The Lakers then seized the lead and maintained control of the game until Kevin Durant was substituted back in.
After Durant returned, Phoenix shot a perfect 5-5 from the field and maintained a four-point lead at the half.
