The road to Las Vegas became more intense as the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns have a tug of war at the Crypto.com arena. In the inaugural edition of the In-season Tournament, both teams engaged in a ‘do or die’ game for their semi-finals berth. Amid the fierce battle, the veteran superstar ballers LeBron James and Kevin Durant exchanged words to each other.

Under any circumstances, the NBA world would look forward to the battle between King James and Slim Reaper. However, on Tuesday night, the fans couldn’t have asked for a better circumstance, as both superstars battled it out for a spot in the semi-finals in a close game. Additionally, as an icing on the cake, the duo was spotted going at each other verbally.

Kevin Durant and LeBron James engage in a verbal volley

The 2023-24 season has been a kind season for the NBA world, as they witnessed Kevin Durant and LeBron James face each other for the first time in 5 years. Following that, things got much more exciting for the fans because of the semi-final berth.

The Lakers went off to a flying start, maintaining a steady 12-point lead throughout the first half. The Lakers defense gave a tough test to the Suns duo, KD and Devin Booker, forcing 2o turnovers throughout the game. On top of it, both stars had 5 fouls under their name. Despite the Lakers’ stronghold, the Suns came back stronger.

After falling a way short of the Lakers’ lead in the first half by 11 points, the Suns came back on top with a flurry of points in the third quarter and squared up the LA side’s total. Thanks to KD’s outburst, he scored 10 points in that quarter alone, supported by Devin Booker’s 6 points, dropping a 35-point quarter. On the other hand, they restricted the Lakers to only 24 points. Amid this 3rd quarter battle, Durant and James found some time for some friendly banter. Here is the clip…

Despite KD’s outburst, the Suns couldn’t cross the line, as they fell short by 3 points in a close 106-103 game.

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Moreover, the KD vs James contest had the perfect ending in the nail-biting finish to the quarter-final game.

Perfect ending to the contest

With 15 seconds left in the game, the Lakers were one point up in the game with the possession. While the ball was expected to land in James or Davis’ hand, it was Austin Reaves, who dropped the game-deciding three-pointer. Following that, Durant scored a quick 2 points, leaving 11 seconds on the clock. Now that the game was in anyone’s hands, King James showed his class by calling a time-out tactically on an Austin Reaves fumble to extend the possession, albeit controversially. Even then, the game wasn’t over. As the Suns had the last possession with 6 seconds on the clock, KD attempted an equalizing three-pointer, falling short and the Lakers sealed their semi-final spot.

What do you make of the quarter-final battle between the superstars? Let us know in the comments below.

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