LeBron James drives to the basket from one end. Kevin Durant shoots a arcing jumper. Current Suns head coach Frank Vogel called James and Durant “two iconic figures in basketball today.”
Even though it was preseason, the two were playing together for the first time since 2018 and were perfect finishers.
Lakers regulars held their last rehearsal before a sold-out crowd at Acrisure Arena outside Palm Springs on Tuesday before the season opener.
The Durant-James showdown was victorious. Lakers? Not so much.
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Phoenix dominated the second half against the Lakers 123-100, their fourth loss in six preseason games
James scored 19 points, Anthony Davis scored 15 points and 6 blocks in 23 minutes, and Austin Reeves scored 14 points. Durant scored 21 points, all in the first half, without stars Devin Booker and Bradley Beal on the court.
The Lakers’ bench struggled all game and were severely lacking a coordinator with both Gabe Vincent (back) and Jalen Hood-Schifino (knee) out . Cam Reddish, Rui Hachimura and Christian Wood combined to hit 3 of 13 shots with no assists. Reddish’s score was minus-28, Hachimura’s score was minus-30, and Wood’s score was minus-35.
The Lakers trailed 35-15 in the third quarter despite sending their starters against the Suns reserves.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.