The Los Angeles Lakers battled in the final phase to defeat the Phoenix Suns 100-95.
Anthony Davis led the purple and gold with 30 points, scoring 13 in the fourth quarter alone. He also led the boards with 12 rebounds and three blocks. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham talked about his confidence in Davis.
“He takes a lot of pride in the way he performs,” Ham said. “Whether he hears the outside noise or not, he knows we have all the faith in the world in him and that’s not going to change.”
Lakers coach Darvin Ham talked about the 4th quarter defense that led to their 100-95 win over the Phoenix Suns @thelasentinel pic.twitter.com/KeXqPFDiJy
— Amanda Scurlock (@Amandtastic) October 27, 2023
Kevin Durant scored 39 points and 11 rebounds in the effort. He implemented a 15-point effort against the Lakers in the third phase, putting them in a 12-point hole for the fourth. Lakers center Christian Wood requested to defend Durant, according to Ham.
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“With his length, his agility, he’s able to contest at a high rate,” Ham said. “His length and his ability to contest and his focus , he’s trying to be good on that end of the floor and so we saw he was in good rhythm, he was getting some huge defensive rebounds.”
Davis also praised Wood’s efforts against Durant.
“He took on a challenge, we threw a couple of different looks, myself, [James], and [Wood],” Davis said. “[Wood] did a great job being physical with him, making him take tough shots.”
LeBron James talked about how he and Anthony Davis created offensive opportunities late in their win against Phoenix @thelasentinel pic.twitter.com/SGpw8zl70E
— Amanda Scurlock (@Amandtastic) October 27, 2023
Wood came off the bench scoring seven points Cam Reddish and Tauren Prince also defended the 13-time All-Star.
LeBron James finished the game just shy of a triple-double with 21 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Despite the minutes restraint, he played in all 12 minutes of the fourth period. Ham noted how he used timeouts strategically to give James breaks.
“He has that spirit, that intensity to put the team on his shoulders,” Ham said. “You got two of the all-time greats battling, going back and forth like that, it’s hard to sit out on something like that.”
The game was tied at 91 points with 1:30 left in regulation. James and Davis relied on screen rolls to score.
“I think it’s second nature for myself and [Davis], we’ve been doing this for five years now,” James said. “We know when money-time or when it’s a close game, we know a few actions that we can get to we know we’re gonna at least get a good look.”
Anthony Davis talked about Christian Wood defending Suns star Kevin Durant @thelasentinel pic.twitter.com/445eYVzHfN
— Amanda Scurlock (@Amandtastic) October 27, 2023
The Lakers were slow to start, only shooting 34.8 percent from the field in the first quarter and trailing throughout the match. The message that Davis had for the team was to get stops and rebounds.
“We have enough on the floor offensively to score the basketball,” Davis said. “I just wanted to lock in defensively, especially when you got a guy like that going, just making it tough for him.”
When it comes to the continuity of the team, James noted that it will take time.
“The coaches [are] still tinkering around with lineups … on the floor,” James said. “We’re still just trying to figure out lineups that works well for us, what combinations works well.”
The Lakers leave L.A. to battle the Sacramento Kings on October 29 at 6:00P.M.
