Suns-Lakers: 5 takeaways as Anthony Davis helps erase 22-point deficit

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LOS ANGELES —Essentially the most overused two phrases spoken in the course of the first week of each NBA season — it’s early — have to be repeated right here if just for the sake of context:

The Lakers seem like an honest sufficient workforce.

By means of two video games they’ve squared off towards a pair of projected Western Convention contenders and did greater than maintain their very own; they dominated throughout stretches and sealed the deal.

Beating the Suns on Friday evening adopted a gap win over the Timberwolves, and the unbeaten Lakers are feeling frisky and good about themselves. And maybe for good motive.

Anthony Davis is wholesome and beastly, LeBron James right here in his twenty second season as soon as once more reveals no indicators of deep getting old, and few flaws are surfacing.

Down 22 early, Los Angeles stormed again to beat Phoenix 123-116 and improved to 2-0 to open a season for the primary time since 2010-11. Listed below are 5 takeaways from a feel-good victory that places the Lakers atop of the West (at the least for now; it’s early):

1. Redick may be prepared for the job

He arrived with a training resume lighter than the supermodels who sashay round Crypto.com Enviornment and but, primarily based purely on how the Lakers are performing in his system, JJ Redick seems to be, let’s assume, skilled?

There’s a noticeable chemistry and cohesion to the Lakers, particularly offensively. The ball is shared and the scoring is balanced. The supporting gamers round LeBron and AD appear assured and purposeful.

“The opposite evening we performed his sport plan to a T and trusted his defensive schemes. Tonight was a distinct kind of sport,” mentioned Davis. “Down 22, that’s when the belief has to actually kick in, the teaching has to kick in. J is available in at halftime, telling us ‘we’re alright, cool down, we all know what we’re doing unsuitable.’

“Him not panicking makes us not panic and we’re in a position to stroll them down and finally take the lead. We’re trusting what he’s doing.”

Austin Reaves outplayed Devin Booker, took him off the dribble and dropped pictures from deep (5-for-7) to attain 26 factors. Rui Hachimura had moments for the second straight sport. And the bench produced.

About Reaves, Redick mentioned: “I knew he was a very good participant earlier than I took this job. I didn’t notice he was this good.”

2. Davis seems to be unstoppable once more

For the second straight sport Davis was the facility supply offensively, scoring 35 factors towards the Suns after opening the season with 36.

Aggressive and forceful, Davis is possibility A and it’s a task each he and the Lakers are embracing.

“The positions the place I’m getting the ball, it’s efficient,” he mentioned. “And when my teammates are taking part in nicely it opens the ground and alternatives for me.”

He additionally exploited the Suns’ most evident weak point — their lack of high quality measurement. Jusuf Nurkic had 4 turnovers, 4 fouls and one basket towards Davis and was on the bench within the fourth quarter. The Suns had been compelled to make use of Kevin Durant, who not often guards facilities, on Davis as an alternative.

The blueprint for this Laker season is being revealed, and it has Davis penciled in as the principle occasion.

“He has a consolation degree and a confidence degree in that if the sport begins getting wacky, the ball is coming again to him,” mentioned Redick.

3. Suns and protection are nonetheless underneath improvement

Mike Budenholzer is teaching the Suns as a result of the membership continuously collapsed defensively final season underneath Frank Vogel.

Properly, the Suns can change the coach, however till they both discover higher defenders or develop a greater defensive mindset, that facet of the court docket may nonetheless be problematic.

They surrendered 71 second-half factors to the Lakers and a workforce with such licensed scorers as Durant, Booker and Beal couldn’t sustain with that tempo.

When the pictures aren’t falling for the Suns, they’re susceptible till additional discover. They began the sport with blistering capturing, going 11-for-14 on from deep. However once they cooled and completed 6-for-26, their protection couldn’t save them.

This might finally decide their destiny within the West, which is loaded. They had been swept final spring within the first spherical by the Timberwolves as a result of they struggled to attain. And if the Suns discover themselves engaged in a defensive battle, that’s most likely hassle.

4. LA, the sports activities epicenter

Largest cheer of the evening got here when the Suns hit a third-quarter 3-pointer. The response wasn’t for the shot, in fact. It was at that exact second when Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam for the Dodgers in Recreation 1 of the World Collection.

Friday was a surreal evening in LA, crammed with sports activities occasions. There was Lakers-Suns, the World Collection, USC-Rutgers, a pair of massive highschool soccer video games and in addition a live performance at Intuit Dome.

Consequently, it was a visitors armageddon, even by LA requirements. Not solely did a lot of the occasions begin roughly inside an hour of one another, additionally they ended inside that period of time. So, a snarl.

Or — this was good prep for what’s coming on the 2028 Olympics.

5. Two Jameses nonetheless on the roster, for now

When the Lakers schedule was introduced, it fell in place for Bronny James virtually as neatly because the Draft. That’s as a result of the street sport in Cleveland can be early sufficient within the season — Wednesday, really — to warrant him taking part in in his different “house” city.

So it’s very seemingly that after this upcoming six-game street journey and that cease in Cleveland that Bronny will seemingly get despatched to the South Bay Lakers of the G League for creating.

This isn’t all that uncommon for a fifty fifth decide to open the season within the NBA, get a style of that life, then spend most, if not all, of the remainder of the season within the minors.

After taking part in three minutes within the season opener, Bronny notched a DNP towards the Suns. When he goes to the G League, the actual drama will start, as a result of that degree is loaded with ravenous dreamers who lack the choices Bronny is blessed with if basketball doesn’t work out.

If Bronny doesn’t stand out within the G League — and keep in mind, he struggled in NBA Summer time League — will the Lakers deliver him again?

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Shaun Powell has coated the NBA for greater than 25 years. You’ll be able to e-mail him right here, discover his archive right here and follow him on X.

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