Horizontal

The leader of the Lakers took the gunslinger duel with Kevin Durant Matt York / LaPresse

Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers faced each other in another round of the NBA Cup and they did not disappoint anyone. With the two superstars of each team shining with their own light, the victory was finally for the visitors, who, thanks to the tight 119-122 score, ended a streak of three consecutive defeats.

The game was signed by LeBron James. Season 21, about to be 39… Time is ticking for the king and today he once again gave a basketball recital: 32 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Not only were the numbers important, the end of the game, the great pending issue for these Lakers, was also important. Being the best means having almost everyone’s eyes on what you do… but LeBron proved not to pay much attention to criticism. LeBron’s haters went after him after the game against the Heat, in which he passed the ball to Reddish on the final play. Good old Cam failed, but it was James who received the blame for the defeat. But today the same situation happened… and LeBron trusted his teammate again, with better luck for those in yellow.

Reddish finished with 17 points, being one of the key Los Angeles secondary players for the visiting victory, the first in the NBA Cup. D’Angelo Russell went up to 19 with 9 assists, Austin Reaves finished with 15 points and 7 assists and Anthony Davis also added, who signed a double double of 18+11 in his return to the courts.

All this was necessary to stop the other big star. After many years avoiding each other, LeBron and Kevin Durant are seeing each other lately and the result is always a victory for the one from Los Angeles despite KD’s good numbers. His 38 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists today were not enough for his Suns, who collapsed in the fourth quarter.

Everything looked good in the first round. The 34-25 for Arizona after the first 12 minutes was promising and made us forget about the loss of Devin Booker. But the passing of the minutes felt much better for the visitors, who were also making their first appearance in the Cup. With a 0-11 partial, the Lakers sealed a victory that was as hard-fought as it was important.

Lakers smile again with absolutely full LeBron James - OiCanadian