
USA Today via Reuters
Apr 2, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forwards Anthony Davis (3) and LeBron James (6) signal to teammates against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

USA Today via Reuters
Apr 2, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forwards Anthony Davis (3) and LeBron James (6) signal to teammates against the Houston Rockets during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the Phoenix Suns after losing their season-opener to the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers, who made it to the Western Conference Finals last year were looking to get back on track after starting the season with a loss to the reigning NBA champions.
Los Angeles was led to a victory by not just LeBron James but Anthony Davis too. Read more to find out how LBJ & AD managed to choke out Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns despite trailing for most of their matchup.
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Anthony Davis led the team in scoring and to the victory line
The Phoenix Suns had their foot on the gas right from the start, finishing the first quarter with a big margin. The Lakers were left chasing the Suns for most of the game until it was the final quarter.

USA Today via Reuters
Oct 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) moves to the basket against Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) and forward Anthony Davis (3) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Durant did a great job leading the Suns without the help of the rest of the two All-Stars, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. And for most of the game, it seemed as if Phoenix had it in the bag.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Anthony Davis and LeBron James managed to suffocate Durant and the Suns. The Lakers brought down the defensive pressure, choking out the Suns for most of the fourth quarter.
Despite Kevin Durant’s 39-point performance, it was Los Angeles that finally came out on top. The Suns only scored 11 points in the fourth whereas the Lakers managed to go on a run, closing up the deficit and taking the game with a 100-95 final score.
LeBron James had a decent performance but it was Anthony Davis outshined the veteran All-Star. Davis led the team in scoring and rebounding. In the 39 minutes that he played, Davis scored 30 points, along with 13 rebounds and 2 assists.
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LeBron James comes alive in the fourth
At first, the Phoenix Suns seemed to be in control of the game and it did not seem like Kevin Durant needed any help. He had an amazing scoring output for most of the first three-quarters of the game.
But it wasn’t until the fourth, when the Lakers clamped up the Suns that even Durant’s scoring prowess seemed useless. While LeBron James had a slow night shooting, Davis made up for it from the field.
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Although James could not make some big shots, he more than made up for it on the defensive end of the floor. Which ultimately led to the Lakers going home with the win. Hopefully, the rest of the Suns’ stars come back soon so that Phoenix gets more help on the floor in their upcoming matchups.
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