Phoenix Suns duo Kevin Durant and Devin Booker combined to send the Los Angeles Lakers falling to their first NBA defeat of the season.
Booker bagged 33 points and Durant 30 to give the Suns an exciting 109-105 victory in the Footprint Center of Phoenix.
Lakers star LeBron James had a quiet game and recorded just 11 points as teammate Anthony Davis top scored with 29, while Austin Reaves added 23.
The Lakers went into the game with an impressive 3-0 start to the campaign under new head coach JJ Redick and made a great start to the game.
Davis bagged 16 points in the first quarter to give the Lakers a 26-8 lead.
Phoenix hit back to go 50-48 up before the Lakers answered with a 35-point third quarter to regain the lead.
However, the Suns dominated the fourth when they outscored the Lakers 33-22 to seal a hard-fought victory.
Suns coach Mike Budenholzer hailed the “toughness” of his side’s defense after taking “such a punch in the first quarter” as a deciding factor in the win.
Elsewhere, Paolo Banchero became the first Orlando Magic player with a 50-point game in 20 years as they held off the Indiana Pacers 119-115.
Banchero tied the franchise record for points in a half, scoring 37 in the first two quarters against the Indiana Pacers.
He added 13 rebounds and had nine assists while Jalen Suggs provided offensive support with 25 points.
Banchero finished with a career-high 50 points, matching the club’s fifth-highest scoring effort and the best comeback since Tracy McGrady’s record of 62 points in March 2004.
“It was just in the zone. I felt like I was in an open gym, at home, just working on my game,” Banchero said.
“Every shot felt like it was going in and it’s a good feeling when you have a day like that.”
