Phoenix Suns duo Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combined to send the Los Angeles Lakers tumbling to their first NBA defeat of the season.
Booker bagged 33 points and Durant 30 to give the Suns a thrilling 109-105 win at Phoenix’s Footprint Center. Lakers star LeBron James had a quiet game and registered just 11 points as team-mate Anthony Davis top-scored for the team with 29, while Austin Reaves added 23.The Lakers had gone into the match with an impressive 3-0 start to the campaign under new head coach JJ Redick and made a superb start to the game.
Davis bagged 16 points in the first quarter to give the Lakers an early 26-8 lead.
Phoenix hit back to go 50-48 up by half-time before the Lakers responded with a 35-point third quarter to regain the lead.
However, the Suns dominated the fourth as they outscored the Lakers 33-22 to take a hard-fought victory.
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer hailed the “toughness” of his side’s defence after taking “a punch like that in the first quarter” as a crucial factor in the win.
Elsewhere, Paolo Banchero became the first Orlando Magic player with a 50-point game in 20 years as they edged out the Indiana Pacers 119-115.
Banchero tied the franchise record for points in a half, scoring 37 in the first two quarters against the Indiana Pacers.
He added 13 rebounds and had nine assists while Jalen Suggs provided offensive support with 25 points.
Banchero finished with a career-high 50 points, equalling the club’s fifth-highest scoring effort and the best return since Tracy McGrady’s record of 62 points in a March 2004.
“It was just being in the zone. I felt like I was in an open gym, back at home, just working on my game,” Banchero said.
“Every shot felt like it was going in and it’s a good feeling when you’ve got a day like that.”
