NBA

Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns

· NBA Cup - Group Play
10-7, 3-5 Away
Final
100 - 127

10-7, 6-3 Home

Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant both return from injury, lead the Suns past the Lakers 127-100

Beal emphatically stuffs LeBron at the rim

Devin Booker led the way with 26 points and had 10 assists as the Suns snapped a five-game losing streak.

Beal had missed the past five games while Durant had missed seven in a row — both players were sidelined by a strained left calf.

Beal made 10 of 15 shots, including 3 of 6 from 3-point range.

The Lakers were led by Anthony Davis, who scored 25 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. LeBron James added 18 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. Los Angeles has lost three straight.

The Suns outscored the Lakers 36-18 in the third quarter, turning a tight game into a 98-78 advantage. Booker had 11 points during the run while Jusuf Nurkic had 10.

Takeaways Lakers: Los Angeles held its own throughout the first half, but went cold after the break. The Lakers made just 8 of 34 (23.5%) from beyond the 3-point arc. D'Angelo Russell scored 16 points while Austin Reaves had 15.

Suns: Phoenix looked more like its former self with Durant and Beal back on the court. Nurkic recovered from a rough start to finish with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Grayson Allen added 10 points off the bench while Royce O'Neale added nine on three 3-pointers, which came as the Suns built their second-half lead.

Key moment Booker made three consecutive shots during the Suns' 14-2 run midway through the third quarter, helping push the lead to 86-72.

Key stat The Suns are 9-1 when Durant is in the lineup and 1-6 when he's not.

Up Next The Suns host the Nets on Wednesday night. The Lakers are on the road against the Spurs on Wednesday night.

Regular Season Series

PHX leads series 2-1

Matchup Prediction

Suns: 62.6%
Lakers: 37.4%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 100 - 127
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 100 - 127
4th 17.1 D'Angelo Russell makes free throw 2 of 2 100 - 127
4th 17.1 D'Angelo Russell makes free throw 1 of 2 99 - 127
4th 17.1 Josh Okogie shooting foul 98 - 127

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/lal.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originLAL https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/phx.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originPHX
37-85 FG 51-99
43.5 Field Goal % 51.5
8-34 3PT 17-42
23.5 Three Point % 40.5
18-25 FT 8-10
72.0 Free Throw % 80.0
42 Rebounds 46
7 Offensive Rebounds 8
35 Defensive Rebounds 38
25 Assists 31
7 Steals 9
6 Blocks 3
12 Turnovers 9
0 Team Turnovers 0
12 Total Turnovers 9
0 Technical Fouls 2
0 Total Technical Fouls 2
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
19 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 4
5 Fast Break Points 19
50 Points in Paint 54
11 Fouls 18
4 Largest Lead 30

Game Information

Footprint Center

Location: Phoenix, AZ
Attendance: 17,071 · Capacity:

2024-25 Pacific Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
LA Clippers 17 13 .567 - W1
LA Lakers 16 13 .552 0.5 L1
Golden State 15 13 .536 1 L1
Phoenix 14 14 .500 2 L3
Sacramento 13 17 .433 4 L4
Full Standings

NBA News

Stat Stories: Monday's standout NBA fantasy performances

Stat Stories: Monday's standout NBA fantasy performances

Check out some of the top performers in fantasy NBA from Monday, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama.

NBA Christmas Day matchups that lived up to the hype

NBA Christmas Day matchups that lived up to the hype

The NBA on Christmas Day is one of the league's oldest traditions with the game's biggest stars often clashing on the holiday.

Breakout seasons for NBA players under age 25: Nine most improved

Breakout seasons for NBA players under age 25: Nine most improved

The 2021 No. 1 pick finally figuring it out? A bright spot on the middling Hawks? The stats behind the improvement of these under-25 NBA players stand out.

NBA betting: One bet to make on each of the awards races

NBA betting: One bet to make on each of the awards races

Andre Snellings and Eric Moody pinpoint one bet to make on each of the NBA awards. races.

NBA on Christmas Day: Key questions, top players, big matchups

NBA on Christmas Day: Key questions, top players, big matchups

LeBron vs. Steph and Wemby's Christmas Day debut -- our NBA insiders preview the five-game holiday slate by answering team's biggest questions.