LOS ANGELES–LeBron James and Austin Reaves were key down the stretch as the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Phoenix Suns, 106-103 in the Quarterfinal of the new NBA In-Season Tournament at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday, December 5.
With the thrilling victory, the Purple and Gold will face the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night in Las Vegas in the Semifinals. It was a night of NBA star power, King James and Kevin Durant added another chapter to their historic rivalry.
Anthony Davis was a beast for the Lakers early, scoring 14 first-quarter points, including a thunderous dunk as time expired, to give LA a 33-23 lead going into the second. AD was engaged on the boards, and aggressive on the defensive end.
Los Angeles dominated the boards with 12 offensive rebounds on top of Phoenix’s 14 total turnovers in the first half.
Leading 59-47 at halftime, the Lakers were firmly in control. The Suns opened up the third quarter on fire; going on a 14-0 run including consecutive three-pointers by Grayson Allen.
After three quarters the Lakers clung to a one-point lead. King James and KD put on quite a show in the 4th quarter.
James looked to take control to begin the fourth, driving to the basket for some easy ones and then drilling a three to score seven straight and put the Lakers up five.
Durant responded by nailing back-to-back threes to give his team another lead going into the final minutes. The electricity and excitement were palpable for the sold-out crowd at Crypto.
Kevin Durant and LeBron James each had 31 points for their respective teams in what was a game that went down to the very last shot.
With the Lakers up by five with 2:00 minutes remaining, Phoenix had one final run, and refused to go quietly into the night.
Austin Reaves sealed the victory by swishing a three, putting Los Angeles up for good.
The game ultimately came down to a Durant three to tie the game, which was air-balled as time expired.
On Thursday, Anthony Davis will face his former team, the New Orleans Pelicans in the Semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament. It will be held in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena. Tipoff is at 6:00 PM.
