PHOENIX — In its brief two-season history, NBA Cup games have typically been when the Lakers are at their best.

Their collective focus is dialed up, understanding the stakes for the regular season and in-season tournament — including a $500,000-plus cash prize for each player on the Cup-winning team.

This typically was most evident defensively, with the Lakers, a team that’s generally struggled on that end of the floor over the last couple of seasons, raising their energy and physicality multiple levels above their norm.

That wasn’t the case in the Lakers’ 127-100 Tuesday loss to the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center, the first defeat in an NBA Cup matchup and their third consecutive loss to drop them to 10-7.

Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists while LeBron James had 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.

But their impact was negated by the Lakers’ subpar defensive performance, which allowed the Suns to shoot 51.5% (51 of 99), including 40.5% on 3-pointers (17 of 42).

Coach JJ Redick said pregame he was confident that his team would have a “great response” after the Lakers were outscored by the Denver Nuggets 70-39 in the second half of Saturday’s home loss.

That response only lasted for one half, with Tuesday’s game going similarly to Saturday.

The Lakers were competitive with the Suns in the first half, trailing 62-60 going into the third quarter.

But just like the Nuggets, the Suns blitzed the Lakers as soon as the second half started, going on a 15-2 run midway through the third quarter to take a 91-74 lead that grew to 98-78 by the time the quarter ended.

The Suns outscored the Lakers 36-18 in the third, similar to the 37-15 advantage the Nuggets had against the Lakers in the third on Saturday.

The Suns (10-7), who were led by Devin Booker’s 26 point-10 assist double-double, didn’t need to continue their offensive onslaught in the fourth quarter, taking a 115-88 lead with 4:25 remaining before both teams pulled their starters.

Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, both of whom returned to the floor after missing multiple games because of strained calves, each scored 23 points for Phoenix.

The Lakers were previously undefeated in NBA Cup games before Tuesday, going 9-0 between this season and 2023-24.

They beat the San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 15 and Utah Jazz on Nov. 19 in Group Play games after going 7-0 in tournament play last season to win the inaugural NBA Cup.

The Lakers will play the Spurs again tonight on the second night of a back-to-back for both teams.