The Los Angeles Lakers faced a challenging start to their 2025-26 preseason, losing their first game 103-81 to the Phoenix Suns at Acrisure Arena. The Lakers were missing multiple key players, including superstars LeBron James and Luka Doncic; James was missing due to a nerve irritation in his glute, and Doncic was resting after a summer of participating in EuroBasket for Slovenia. Their absence was felt throughout the game, as the Lakers failed to find rhythm and cohesion on both sides of the ball.

Austin Reaves emerged as one of the few bright spots for LA, scoring 20 points, including 18 in the first half, with three boards and 2 assists. Rui Hachimura contributed 11 points and 2 steals, while Bronny James provided some bench scoring with 8 points. Despite their efforts, however, the team collectively shot a poor 31% from the field and a frigid 17% from three.

Before the game, head coach JJ Redick had emphasized the importance of using the preseason to build conditioning and run various lineups. There were limited run times per lineup, with Redick giving them, “4-5 minutes” per rotation, and the focus was on development and experimentation instead of trying to chase immediate results.

The loss likely isn’t ideal for Redick and his staff, but cultivating a competitive edge through playing harder than their opponents remained the primary objective for them. Unfortunately, the Lakers started off poorly, already struggling in the first quarter.

The Suns started the game hot, jumping out with an early lead following a 7-0 run, and later bolstered by an 11-0 run before ending the first quarter. The Lakers made a slight recovery in the second period, finishing a very competitive quarter trailing 57-44 at the end of the first half, with solid contributions from Bronny James and Dalton Knecht.

However, they fell back into a major deficit in the third, with defensive lapses and untimely turnovers letting the Suns contain their third quarter scoring to just 18 points, before a cardio fourth quarter ended the game 103-81.

The absence of a secondary high-level ball-handler alongside Austin Reaves highlighted the Lakers weaknesses, and exposed their lack of clutch scoring as Devin Booker (24 points) took advantage of poor defensive rotations. The Lakers have a lot to improve on heading into their next preseason game against the Warriors.

Fans React to the Los Angeles Lakers Meltdown Against the Suns

Lakers Nation took to social media to express frustration over the team’s loss in a season where they should be looking to contend for a championship. One fan pointed to how new additions Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia performed poorly, saying, “Our new additions have been no shows, This team is playing at best if we don’t make trades,” which raises questions about the roster’s cohesion.

Another fan was particularly frustrated with poor rotational minutes from one Lakers center. “It’s been the first 24 minutes of the season and I’m already sick of the Hayes minutes,” they said at halftime, pointing to Jaxson Hayes’ poor performance, recording 7 points and 5 rebounds off the bench, but adding 4 fouls in just 17 minutes yielding in a -18 net rating.

Some took a more pragmatic view, with one commenter saying, “Well I mean 3-4 of these dudes won’t be in the rotation so can’t complain,” acknowledging that the experimentation from Redick in the preseason is not an indication of what is to follow this season, and can distort impressions.

With Nate Williams and Nick Smith Jr. combing for 36 minutes and net a -30 rating, it’s only fair to point out once key rotational players are healthy and available these numbers would eventually concede. Notably Anton Watson stood out in his 7 minutes of play- yielding a rebound, steal and two assists- contributing to the bench best +9 rating.

The absence of LeBron and Luka was also noted, with one comment pointing out, “Two best ballhandlers are watching from the sidelines,” highlighting just how much the team missed their offensive orchestration, especially with just Reaves performing effectively.

Jake LaRavia showed flashes, with a notable hand-off-drive turned layup- showcasing his mobility and off the ball movement, he remained limited to 7 points and a net -15 rating- worst off all the starters. Lack of ball handling and turnovers overlapped- with the Suns having an advantage 16 to 22.

Questions about strategy also surfaced, with one fan humorously stating, “Is JJ getting outcoached by an assistant? 😭” pointing to Suns head coach Jordan Ott, who was an assistant under Kenny Atkinson in Cleveland last year. The scrutiny just goes to show how high the expectations are for fans this season, and how the blame can shift to Redick if the stars are absent.