Thursday night at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, the Los Angeles Lakers hosted their division rival Phoenix Suns to conclude the preseason.

Despite the fact that these teams will meet again in the second regular season game the following week, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham utilized the preseason finale as a rudimentary trial run, utilizing his regular rotations and healthy starters for roughly two-and-a-half quarters.

In contrast, Suns head coach Frank Vogel rested his star backcourt of Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. Kevin Durant, however, participated in the contest and faced LeBron James for the first time since Christmas Day in 2018.

In the second half, despite a solid performance from Los Angeles’s starters, the bench labored predictably in the absence of a point guard; consequently, the Suns cruised to a 123-100 victory. The Lakers conclude the preseason with a 2-4 record; however, the night concluded with no additional injuries.

Davis initiated Lakers’ scoring with an attractive floater that he completed in response to a pass from D’Angelo Russell. Later, Davis completed an additional effortless layup to give Los Angeles a 7-0 lead, compelling Vogel to waste an early timeout.

Durant assisted the Suns in gaining the lead with a pair of free throws out of the timeout, but the Lakers maintained early control with an open 3-pointer by Austin Reaves, which was the result of some excellent Lakers ball movement.

Davis, meanwhile, demonstrated exceptional defensive prowess in the opening eight minutes of the contest by accumulating five blocks. After that, however, the Lakers’ offense faltered and the Suns clawed their way back in for a second-quarter lead of 24-20.

The Lakers received some much-needed vigor from Jaxson Hayes, who scored twice off the bench. After Hayes, James regained the lead with a transition layup and a three-pointer. However, Durant began to gain momentum for the Suns when he scored nine consecutive points.

Davis ultimately rejoined the contest and reinstated stability through a three-pointer and a three-point attempt. The Lakers then utilized their three-pointers, as LeBron James scored two and Reaves scored one to extend the lead to double digits. However, Durant and Eric Gordon orchestrated a brief Suns comeback, which reduced their halftime deficit to 58-54.

Durant concluded his evening at intermission, whereas the Laker starters completed a brief stint in the third quarter, as anticipated. They were unable to establish a significant lead, however, and the final 18 minutes of the preseason came down to a battle of the benches.

As expected, the Lakers struggled to close out the third quarter in which the Suns gained possession, missing all of their point guards. They extended their lead to sixteen points at 89-73 in the third quarter after Keita Bates-Diop beat the buzzer.

As a result of the Lakers’ dearth of ball-handlers, Max Christie completed the game with some valuable point guard minutes and managed to drain a few goals despite the lopsided loss.