The Los Angeles Lakers’ perfect record in NBA Cup play is no more after the Phoenix Suns snagged a 127-100 win at Footprint Center on Tuesday, throwing the West Group B standings into chaos in the process.

Phoenix’s three stars delivered, as Devin Booker led the team with 26 points and 10 assists while Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, both of whom returned from injuries, contributed 23 points each. Anthony Davis paced the Lakers with 25 points while LeBron James added 18 points and 10 assists, but coach JJ Redick pulled both with a little more than four minutes left to play. The Suns led by just two points at halftime, but broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Lakers 36-18.

The Lakers, Suns and San Antonio Spurs all have a 2-1 record in NBA Cup play, with Oklahoma City (1-1) and Utah (0-3) beneath them.

After winning all seven games in last year’s inaugural tournament en route to the title and their first two games in this season’s event, the Lakers now face an uphill climb to reach the quarterfinals and repeat as NBA Cup champions. Their only realistic path is to beat the Thunder on Friday and hope the Spurs defeat the Suns next Tuesday. The Lakers could technically earn the wild card spot with two straight wins and a Suns victory, but their blowout defeat tonight means they’d be unlikely to have a better point differential than a 3-1 team from another group.

A return to reality for L.A.

Tuesday’s loss marked the Lakers’ longest skid of the season (three games) and their first loss in NBA Cup history. The Lakers remain second in West Group B due to previously beating the Spurs, but they almost certainly have to beat Oklahoma City on Friday in Los Angeles to have a shot at winning the group.

Los Angeles entered the game with the 27th-ranked defense, and lived up to its bottom-four ranking by allowing the Suns to score 126.4 points per 100 possessions. After a 3-0 start, and a recent six-game winning streak against a stretch of subpar opponents, the Lakers appear to be crashing down to the reality that they are closer to a mediocre team with good flashes than a good team with great flashes. Their atrocious defense means that no lead is safe and they have to be great offensively to offset it.

Outside of Davis, James and Austin Reaves, they’ve struggled to find consistent offensive contributors recently. Defensively, that list is even shorter. It doesn’t get any easier for the Lakers with the second night of a road back-to-back in San Antonio on Wednesday, their NBA Cup group play finale versus Oklahoma City on Friday and then a four-game trip. — Jovan Buha, Lakers senior writer

The ‘Big Three’ are back

The return of Durant and Beal did what was expected: providing a boost to a team that lost six of its previous seven games. Phoenix’s spacing and ball movement were better. For the first time since Durant suffered his injury, the Suns looked like the Western Conference contenders they were for the season’s first few weeks.

Rustiness? Durant scored the game’s first points, a 3 from the left wing. He finished with those 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Beal had his 23 points on 10-of-15  shooting. He also blocked a James shot midway through the fourth quarter that ignited the home crowd.

BEAL WITH THE CHASE DOWN ON LEBRON 😱 pic.twitter.com/FYWQwRFTBy

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 27, 2024

Perhaps the best part for Phoenix: Booker had room to operate. The Suns star guard didn’t exactly struggle without Durant and Beal, but he didn’t have it easy. Opponents double-teamed and blitzed him, wearing him down. In Tuesday’s win, that wasn’t the case. Booker scored seven straight points in the third quarter, helping Phoenix pull away.

It was one game in November, but it should allow Phoenix fans to relax. Every team has difficult stretches, but without Beal and Durant, the Suns started to look like a team that was just waiting to get healthy. The Suns weren’t competitive in a Nov. 20 home loss to the Knicks, giving up 138 points. They struggled to find other ways to win.

As Tuesday proved, having a complete “Big Three” makes winning much easier. But it’s a lesson the Suns should not forget. Because odds are they’ll have to play through similar adversity again this season. And they’ll need to be better. — Doug Haller, Arizona senior writer 

Required reading

(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn)