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Lakers blow early big lead, drop first game of season to Suns

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Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Despite opening the game with a big first quarter, the Lakers struggled the remaining three quarters and dropped their first contest of the season to the Suns.

In an inverse of their last meeting with the Suns, the Lakers jumped out to a big, early lead before blowing it down the stretch, dropping their first game of the season, 109-105.

Anthony Davis scored 29 points with 14 rebounds and three blocks. Rui Hachimura’s impressive start to the season continued with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

LeBron James had a very slow night with 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Only a late 3-pointer in the fourth quarter kept his double-digit scoring streak alive.

Austin Reaves had his second straight really strong offensive showing, scoring 23 points with eight rebounds. D’Angelo Russell chipped in 14 points and eight assists.

The Lakers came out smoking hot with Rui knocking down a 3-pointer, which led to more offense from him. He was the team's leading scorer until AD took over. He took over the game and scored the bulk of his 16 first-quarter points in the paint, only missing four shots.

The only Laker who did not score in the first was LeBron.

Their defense was smothering the Suns, who only had eight points with 5:16 left in the quarter. The Lakers’ energy started to die down a little with missed shots.

A missed three by Gabe Vincent led to the Suns starting to cook offensively. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal cut the 18-point deficit to nine at the end of the first.

Phoenix shifted some of the momentum in their favor as the Lakers started making turnovers and mistakes. They cut the deficit to five on the tails of Devin Booker, who was shouldering the scoring.

A 3-pointer by Booker then made it a two-point game. Los Angeles started to look lackadaisical as they had exhausted their energy with the terrific start in the first quarter. Even with Booker’s dominance, the Lakers managed to hang onto a lead.

Rui continued his excellent play with an impressive and-1 over multiple Suns defenders. The Lakers started playing better defense once AD was subbed back into the game, making Phoenix struggle with their shots.

The Lakers lead dwindled to just three after the Suns went on a 7-0 run. A 3-pointer by Booker put Phoenix up two at halftime.

Tyus Jones stole the ball from AD to score a layup to start the second half. Phoenix was making the Lakers pay for their lack of defense. Luckily for LA, their offense was saving them from collapsing.

LeBron, who had shot incredibly in the previous game, struggled heavily in this one. Phoenix had pushed their lead to five, but LA made a run and a three by Rui had them within one. The Suns kept taking five-point leads but the Lakers hit back each time and finally jumped ahead by one.

Los Angeles took a lead of four on an 8-0 run. Rui’s dominant play was on full display as he attacked the rim for another layup. The Lakers closed the quarter better than the previous two with Gabe knocking down his first three of the night as they headed into the fourth up seven.

The Suns made it a two-point game quickly to start the final frame. For the first time in the game, the score was tied. Both teams started trading baskets and not playing good defense. Phoenix went up by four after pushing the pace more.

Once again, LA struck back and took the lead after AD’s dominance in the paint. The lead kept changing back and forth as both teams were cooking with their scoring. After the Suns had taken the lead, a four-point play by Austin put LA back up one.

With 2:11 left, the Lakers were down by four after a couple of KD baskets. Austin attempted a 3-pointer that didn’t go in and Phoenix secured the rebound.

After getting a stop, LeBron was sent to the free-throw line and he converted on one but intentionally missed the second. The Lakers failed to grab the rebound and Phoenix won the game.

Key Takeaways:

First game this season that has given the Lakers a good challenge. Losing the huge lead they had built in the first quarter was a massive blow.

The Lakers have shown a lot of fight even when down. They are battling and fighting until the end. It’s been impressive to watch.

The rebounding has continued to be a huge improvement. They have been grabbing everything.

The Lakers’ next game is Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 4:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.

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