Kevin Durant (Getty Images)
The combination of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns led to the Los Angeles Lakers’ first loss in the NBA this season.
Booker scored 33 points and Durant added 30 points to lead the Suns to a thrilling 109-105 victory at Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Lakers star LeBron James had a quiet game, scoring just 11 points while teammate Anthony Davis led the way with 29 points and Austin Reeves added 23 points.
The Lakers are off to a great start, coming into the game with an impressive 3-0 start to the season under new head coach JJ Redick.
Davis scored 16 points in the first quarter to give the Lakers a 26-8 lead.
Phoenix battled back to take a 50-48 lead, and the Lakers scored 35 points in the third quarter to regain the lead.
However, the Suns dominated in the fourth, outscoring the Lakers 33-22 for a hard-fought victory.
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer credited the “punch like that in the first quarter” as a key factor in the victory and praised the “toughness” of his team’s defense.
Elsewhere, Paolo Banchero became the first Orlando Magic player in 20 years to score 50 points in a 119-115 win over the Indiana Pacers.
Banchero scored 37 points in the first two quarters against the Indiana Pacers, tying the franchise record for points in a first half.
He had 13 rebounds and nine assists, and Jalen Suggs supported the offense with 25 points.
Banchero finished with a career-high 50 points, tying him for fifth place on the club’s all-time scoring list and the highest since Tracy McGrady’s 62 points in March 2004.
“I was just in the zone. It felt like being back at home in an open gym and just working on my game,” Banchero said.
“I felt like every shot was going in, and it feels great on days like that.”
