Phoenix Suns blow 22-point lead in loss to Los Angeles Lakers

The Phoenix Suns were firing on all cylinders early at the Crypto.com Arena – but that didn't last long.

The Suns fell to 1-1 on the season after a 123-116 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night after holding a 22-point lead in the first half.

Without Grayson Allen (personal) and Josh Okogie (hamstring injury), the Suns were forced to change their rotations. In Los Angeles, most of their lineup was available.

Kevin Durant paved the way for Phoenix with 30 points, four rebounds and five assists to go along with a block. Devin Booker was second in scoring with 21 points and four assists.

Anthony Davis' 35 points and seven rebounds were an important factor for the Lakers. Austin Reaves scored 26 points himself, while LeBron James also contributed 19 points and eight assists.

Both teams hit more than 50% of their shots from distance, with the Lakers' 51.9% long-range conversion rate being extremely notable – as were Phoenix's 17 turnovers.

In the first quarter there was the rare turnover by Tyus Jones.

Other than that, things went very smoothly for the Suns team as they consistently had three possessions and scored their final six attempts from deep with a whopping 14 assists to take a 38-23 lead early in the second quarter. Devin Booker started with ten points in the first 12 minutes of the game.

Phoenix's lead reached as high as 20 points early in the second quarter, but because basketball was a running game, the Lakers eventually narrowed their deficit. Los Angeles woke up and eventually cut Phoenix's lead to nine as they entered the locker room, 61-52.

The Suns finished the first half with 13 turnovers but outscored Los Angeles 21-12. Davis led all scorers with 15 points in the first two quarters.

The Lakers took the lead for the first time with 68:67, and although Los Angeles fought with the Suns for the entire twelve minutes of the third period, Los Angeles prevailed against Phoenix 87:85. According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers had outscored Phoenix 52-30 from 5:11 into the first half through the third quarter.

Before the Suns knew it, Los Angeles extended their lead to double digits early in the fourth period. Phoenix extended the Lakers' lead to just six points at halftime and continued to fight until the final minutes – before a three-pointer from Rui Hachimura with 90 seconds left put the icing on the cake and handed the Suns their first loss of the season.

The Suns are back in Phoenix tomorrow for their home opener against the Dallas Mavericks.

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