Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale combined for 12 of Phoenix’s 17 made 3-pointers, including a trio down the stretch of the fourth quarter, as the Suns held off the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 123–113 on Sunday, Feb. 25.
Phoenix led almost the entire way, building an advantage of 20 points in the first quarter, but Los Angeles battled back to remain within striking distance throughout the second half.
The Lakers pulled within 110–104 before Allen and O‘Neale knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers with three minutes to go. O’Neale added one more with 1:24 remaining that pushed the Suns’ lead to 13 points, putting the game effectively out of reach for Los Angeles.
All five Phoenix starters scored at least 18 points, led by Allen’s 24. He shot 6 of 12 from beyond the arc. O'Neale finished with 20 points, shooting 6 of 10 from long range, and grabbed nine rebounds.
Jusuf Nurkic posted a double-double with 18 points and 22 rebounds, just one board shy his career high. Nurkic also dished seven assists.
Thirty-two of the Suns’ 44 made field goals came via assists, led by Devin Booker’s nine. Booker scored 21 points, while Kevin Durant finished with 22 points and seven assists.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis each recorded double-doubles for Los Angeles.
James scored a game-high 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting from the floor, while distributing a game-high 12 assists. James also grabbed seven rebounds.
Davis went for 22 points and 14 rebounds, while D'Angelo Russell posted 20 points and seven assists.
The Lakers shot 47 of 90 from the floor (52.2 percent) and 15 of 35 from long distance (42.9 percent), keeping pace with Phoenix’s 17 of 40 from outside (42.5 percent).
However, the Suns were able to get to the foul line for 19 free throws, making 18, while the Lakers shot just 4 of 8 at the charity stripe. James shot 1 of 4 at the free-throw line.
