PHOENIX — Despite strong performances from Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, the Lakers dropped their first game of the season to the Suns 109-105 on Monday at Footprint Center.
Davis’ 30-point streak to start the season ended at three games.
He finished with 29 points (12-of-24 shooting), 15 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots.
Reaves scored 23 points on (8-of-15 shooting), including 17 in the second half, to go with eight rebounds and three assists.
But with the Lakers down 107-104 with 37 seconds left after Davis blocked a jumper by Devin Booker (game-high 33 points) that would’ve put the Suns up by five, Reaves missed a potential game-tying open 3-pointer after a timeout, with Booker grabbing the rebound.
The Lakers got another stop down three (107-104) with eight seconds left, but the Suns intentionally fouled LeBron James, who struggled offensively for most of the game, to prevent James from taking a potential game-tying 3.
James made the first free throw and intentionally missed the second, but the Lakers couldn’t grab the offensive rebound and Bradley Beal (15 points) sealed the game with a pair of free throws.
Hachimura had 20 points and 10 rebounds.
James finished with 11 points on 3-of-14 shooting, extending his streak of 10-plus scoring performances to 1,226 games but not doing so until late in the fourth quarter.
Kevin Durant had 30 points for the Suns.
In a reversal from their last matchup on Friday in Los Angeles, which the Lakers won 123-116 after coming back from a 22-point second-quarter deficit, the Lakers who took a significant lead early.
The Lakers jumped out to an 18-point lead, 26-8, midway through the first and had a 31-15 advantage later in the quarter behind strong offensive play from Davis, hustle and taking advantage of the Suns’ slow offensive start.
Davis had 16 first-quarter points in nine minutes, with the Lakers also scoring seven second-chance points and getting easy baskets in transition.
But the Suns turned up their defensive intensity.
And the Lakers’ start-of-second and start-of-fourth lineups, which have been an early bright spot, struggled in their minutes without Davis on the floor.
The Suns outscored the Lakers 17-4 in the seven minutes Davis sat between the first and second quarters, helping Phoenix take a 50-48 lead into halftime.
Reaves, Hachimura and D’Angelo Russell (14 points, eight assists) each scored eight third-quarter points, helping the Lakers win the quarter 35-26 and take an 83-76 lead into the fourth.
The Lakers’ start-of-fourth lineup struggled, allowing the Suns to open the quarter on a 14-3 run to take a 90-86 lead.