James & Davis lead Lakers fightback to beat Suns
LeBron James and Anthony Davis rallied the Los Angeles Lakers for a 100-95 comeback victory over the Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers, playing in their home opener on Thursday, entered the fourth quarter with a 12-point deficit.
Davis scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as James added 21 points – 10 of which came in the final quarter.
Kevin Durant scored 39 points for the Suns, who failed to score during a seven-minute stretch in the fourth quarter as the Lakers took the lead.
In Thursday’s other game, the Philadelphia 76ers fell to a 118-117 defeat by the Milwaukee Bucks as both teams started their season.
Philadelphia were without 10-time NBA All-Star James Harden, who ESPN reports is facing scrutiny by the NBA concerning a possible violation of the league’s player participation policy. This new rule means teams are able to rest only one star player per game.
The policy defines a star player as anybody who was picked in an All-NBA Team or the NBA All-Star team in the previous three seasons.
The Bucks collected 39 points thanks to new guard Damian Lillard, who made his Milwaukee debut after ending an 11-year spell with the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a three-team trade.
Giannis Antetokounmpo added 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Bucks, who trailed by eight points heading into the fourth quarter.