Anthony Davis scored 35 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Austin Reaves added 26 points and eight assists as the Los Angeles Lakers came back from a slow start to defeat the Phoenix Suns 123-116 on Friday.
The Lakers allowed 38 points in the first quarter and fell behind by 22 early in the second quarter. They gradually worked to reduce the deficit and were down by nine at halftime.
After matching Phoenix for much of the third quarter, a strong 20-6 run by the Lakers gave them their first lead since they were up 9-7 just four minutes into the game.
This surge in the third quarter shifted the momentum in favor of the Lakers for the rest of the night. A 9-1 run early in the fourth quarter extended their lead to 10 points, which they mostly maintained.
Los Angeles countered every attempt by Phoenix to come back. One highlight was when LeBron James made a no-look bounce pass to Davis for a powerful dunk, causing a brief delay as former Lakers player Dwight Howard nearly stepped onto the court in celebration.
When Phoenix narrowed the gap to six points with a 3-pointer from Devin Booker, Rui Hachimura, who scored 14 points, quickly responded with a 3-pointer of his own.
The Lakers are now 2-0 at the start of the season for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
Kevin Durant led the Suns with 30 points, while Booker added 23 points and Bradley Beal contributed 15 points and nine assists. Tyus Jones scored 14 points and had eight assists without a turnover in his debut on Wednesday against the Clippers, but he had three turnovers on Friday.
