Stars Shine as Suns Dominate Lakers

The Suns sent the Lakers back below .500 after a strong Thursday night win.

Author:
Kevin Hicks
Jan 12, 2024 12:36 AM EST

In this story:

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (20-18) defeated the Los Angeles Lakers (19-20) in resounding fashion on Thursday night in Los Angeles.

This was yet another star-studded battle in L.A. as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James all were active for the first time out of their four matchups this season.

Suns head coach Frank Vogel opted for the typical starting five at full health while Lakers coach Darvin Ham kept Austin Reaves in the starting unit tonight.

The Suns got off to a hot start - leaving the Lakers' home crowd largely dejected after quarter one. Phoenix led 36-25 behind 16 points from Booker.

The Lakers regained some momentum early in the second frame, but Phoenix kept them at bay behind strong efforts from Josh Okogie and Beal. The Suns eventually outscored Los Angeles 30-27 in the second quarter to carry a 66-52 lead at halftime behind a clutch basket by Durant in the closing seconds.

Phoenix came out even hotter in the third quarter - ballooning the lead to as many as 31 points en route to a 105-78 advantage going into the final 12 minutes of action.

Beal had his best quarter as a member of the team, scoring a masterful 20 points that highlighted a wildly efficient third quarter for Phoenix.

The Suns did not let up much in the fourth quarter - cruising to a comfortable victory in which the bench was cleared with several minutes remaining. 127-109 was the ending score as the final buzzer sounded, which was only met by jeers from the home crowd.

The Suns not only built clear rhythm in this game: they also created something of a cushion over the Lakers in the standings with now a 1.5 game advantage in the West.