Game Recap: Suns crush Lakers as Durant and Beal return, winning NBA Cup game, 127-100

Durant and Beal return, taking some pressure off Booker, who went for 26 points and 10 assists.

The Phoenix Suns welcomed Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal back to their lineup in their NBA Cup Game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, and all feels right in the Valley of the Sun once again. After leading 62-60 at the half, the Suns laid the smackdown on the Lakers, winning easily 127-100.

It was a true team effort from Phoenix, highlighted by 23 points each from Durant and Beal in their return. Devin Booker led all scorers with 26 points and 10 assists, while Jusuf Nurkic had a strong outing against his longtime nemesis, Anthony Davis (who finished with 25 points and 15 rebounds). Nurkic posted a solid 12 points and 12 rebounds of his own, contributing significantly to the Suns’ balanced performance.

The Lakers entered as the only undefeated team in the Western Conference Group B NBA Cup standings, but the Suns took care of that on Tuesday night. The win gives the Suns, Lakers, and Spurs a 2-1 record, while the Jazz are at 0-3 and the Thunder are 1-1. But their +19-point differential puts them atop the group.

Just seeing Kevin Durant back on the court again gives you all the feels. And seeing the Suns back in the win column restores hope that was lost during their five-game losing streak.

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Game Flow

First Half

The Suns welcomed Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal back, and the energy in the arena was palpable. For Devin Booker, their return meant relief was finally here. Durant and Beal combined for 11 points in the first quarter on 4-of-7 shooting, setting the tone before heading to the bench.

Booker played the entire first quarter, something we did not see early in the season with all of the Big Three were healthy. It’s something we have been accustomed to seeing throughout his career and Budenholzer finally went with that strategy. Book had just 4 points but led Phoenix with 3 assists as he found space to operate.

Anthony Davis was the tip of the spear for Los Angeles as he attempted 9 shots in his 11 minutes played, hitting 6 of them for 12 points. He added 5 rebounds.

Grayson Allen scored 8 points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, while Bradley Beal also added 8 points. The Suns outscored the Lakers 31-25 in the first quarter, thanks in part to their sharp three-point shooting, hitting 5-of-10 from deep compared to the Lakers’ 1-of-4.

The rookies got play in the second quarter and Oso Ighodaro made a quick impact. A sharp pass on the interior to Bradley Beal, an and-1 conversion, a buzzer-beating push shot. Oso had had 5 impactful points in the second.

He continues to showcase his fundamentals and I continue to fanboy at the thought that the Suns drafted a quality rotation piece with the 40th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Phoenix maintained control by keeping the Lakers at arm’s length, thanks in part to Los Angeles’ sloppy ball handling. Midway through the second quarter, the Lakers had committed six turnovers compared to the Suns’ four. Crucially, Phoenix capitalized, scoring 12 points off those turnovers, while the Lakers failed to convert any.

Devin Booker and Kevin Durant hit back-to-back three-pointers to extend the Suns’ lead to 8 points with five minutes left in the quarter, and it felt like Phoenix was back.

The Suns used their challenge with 4:48 left in the quarter on a play where Jusuf Nurkic and Anthony Davis knocked the ball out of bounds. Mike Budenholzer believed it went off Davis, and after review, that was confirmed. However, head official James Williams ruled that Nurkic made contact, causing the ball to go out of bounds. A foul.

Essentially, they corrected the call but still penalized the Suns by saying they lost their challenge. Officiating feels more confusing than ever, much like the NBA Cup itself.

Once the officials intervened, which they typically do on behalf of the Lakers, the momentum swayed in Los Angeles’ favor. An 8-0 run ensured and the game was tied at 51-51.

The Suns reclaimed the lead after the Lakers mounted a 15-7 run, thanks to a clutch corner three from Ryan Dunn. The shot was a momentum-shifter, halting Los Angeles’ surge and igniting the crowd.

It was a relatively quiet half from LeBron James, as it typically has been when playing against Phoenix. He saves his energy and attacks in the fourth. He had only 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting, adding 6 assists an 4 rebounds.

The Suns headed into the locker room with a 62-60 lead, thanks in large part to the efforts of Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. That’s right, the Calf Strain Boys combined for 28 points on an efficient 11-of-17 shooting in the first half, reminding everyone just how impactful they can be when healthy.

Second Half

Phoenix opened up the second half with the strategy you knew they would: getting Jusuf Nurkic involved. I’m sure the Lakers didn’t expect it. He scored the first 10 points for the Suns to open the quarter, and the first non-Nurkic basket? He had the assist.

Booker rattled off the next 11 points for the Suns, doing so with transition dunks, three-point hits, and using a devasting screen by Nurk on Austin Reaves that felt like a heavy dose of karma for previous flops.

Booker’s 11th point of the quarter pushed the lead to 83-72 as the Suns were outscoring the Lakes 21-12 in the third with 5:35 left.

Not to be outdone, Durant responded by scoring the next five points for the Suns, while the Lakers struggled to find their rhythm on offense. But hey, he was outdone. Just 5, KD? C’mon.

Tyus Jones capped off the third quarter with a running layup as time expired, pushing the Suns’ lead to 20, 98-78. It was an excellent quarter from Nurkic, who had 10 points and 6 rebounds in the third.

Phoenix shot a blistering 60.9% from the field in the quarter, while the Lakers struggled, hitting just 28.8%. The Suns also went 5-of-10 from beyond the arc, outscoring LA 36-18 in the period.

The ’ole Laker whistle made an early appearance in the fourth quarter, with officials allowing Los Angeles to pressure Phoenix on one end of the floor, yet calling a quick whistle if you so much as looked at LeBron the wrong way on the other. It’s a dynamic we’ve come to expect.

A Bradley Beal block on the man who has scored the most points in the league’s history got the loudest roar from the Footprint faithful, and frankly, I’m surprised that wasn’t called a foul. It was a hell of an athletic play by Brad on this one.

Point differential matters — at least that’s what we’re told — in NBA Cup games, so the Suns weren’t about to take their foot off the gas in the closing minutes. With the game in hand, they kept their starters on the floor, ensuring the lead was padded as much as possible. It wasn’t just about the win; it was about sending a message and securing every advantage in the pointless tournament’s standings.

Devin Booker assisted Kevin Durant on a beautiful pass to the interior which gave Devin a double-double and pushed the Phoenix lead to 28 points. Booker ended the night with 26 points and 10 assists.

With three minutes left, Mike Budenholzer chose to pull the plug on the starters. Kevin Durant played 29 minutes in his return, scoring 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Beal played 27 minutes and had 23 points as well.

Josh Okogie hit a late three-pointer to give Phoenix a 30-point lead, and it landed at 127-100 when all was said and done.

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Next up for the Suns? Tomorrow night it’s the Brooklyn Nets who come to town. We’ll see you then Bright Side. In the meantime, watch the show!