Revenge was on the Lakers’ minds when entering Phoenix to avenge their loss earlier this month. The bout had history. Dillon Brooks and LeBron James’ brief rift added animosity to the wild game. However, in the silence of the commanding storyline, Deandre Ayton also had a homecoming. This was the first time he was playing in Phoenix this season, the same team that drafted him with the number one pick in 2018.

The Lakers center doesn’t carry any ill feelings from when he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. But there’s always that chip on his shoulder. The Suns lost faith in winning with their lottery pick. Just knowing that gets Ayton out of his seat, ready to prove a point.

“Yeah. I mean, it always feels good to be Phoenix. You know, they always adding some type of fuel to my fire. It’s blue fire now. I think that’s the hottest fire,” Ayton said of his return to the dessert.

That motivation had a clear influence on his effort tonight. Often criticised for his demeanour with the Suns, Deandre Ayton showed out with 20 points and 13 rebounds, missing just one shot from the field. He also grabbed a team-high 6 offensive rebounds in the scrappy affair, playing a huge role in the Lakers’ 18 win of the season.

This was also his third 20-point game against the Suns in the last four meetings against them. Clearly, Deandre Ayton puts his pride on the line when approaching this matchup. But this season, he’s bought into the Lakers completely. His interior presence has offered the Lakers an efficient scoring option, converting 71% from the field this season.

But the Mortgage Matchup Center didn’t turn hostile reacting to Ayton’s clinical performance. This was always about two bears going to battle – LeBron James and Dillon Brooks.

LeBron James leads the Lakers in a controversial ending

No matter where you were watching this game from, you knew it would be dramatic. After the Suns’ win in early December, Brooks refused to ‘bow down’ to LeBron James. Their animosity leaked into Phoenix, where tempers flared regularly. Ayton admitted it was an “emotional” game. The Suns crowd rallied behind their agitator, while James picked up a technical foul.

But none of that affected how the Lakers saved themselves from a collapse.

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The Purple and Gold were up 20 in the fourth quarter. Then the Suns responded with a 19-4 run, even taking the lead on a three-pointer from Dillon Brooks. His bump on LeBron James led to his ejection and provided fuel to the King. Having already scored 7 in the fourth, he managed to draw a contentious foul from Devin Booker to close the game out on free throws.

“That’s another movie I seen today,” said Ayton. “Just him just taking his time, hearing the environment, hearing how the boos and the odds. People know the outcome if you make these shots. Yeah, it was a movie again, and he did it again”.

The 41-year-old hit two of his three attempts from the charity stripe before blocking a potential game-winning attempt from Grayson Allen. LeBron James finished the game with 26 points and four assists. The Lakers managed to outlive their struggles against the Suns’ tenacity to exact revenge without Austin Reaves on their roster.

But if there’s anything to know about JJ Redick, the Lakers head coach would take away from glaring concerns from their rivalry against Phoenix. This was the second straight game they managed to force more turnovers from the Lakers than assists. The Purple and Gold hounding the glass with 24 offensive rebounds was something they hadn’t shown this season.

However, the Suns have posed a threat to the Lakers regularly. Some things still have to be fixed, especially navigating through physicality and improving ball security. Yet, this game also displayed the Lakers’ determination to battle through adversity and still get a result. All in all, they got the win. A few things to be improved, but the Lakers will be happy to take a win on the road.