Anthony Davis scored 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, and LeBron James scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns 100–95 on Thursday night, even though they were short-handed.

With 1:11 left in the game, James made the game-winning layup for the Lakers, who came back from being down 12 points at the start of the fourth to win their first game of the season and James’ 21st NBA season.

The Suns played without Devin Booker and Bradley Beal because they were both hurt. Kevin Durant scored 39 points and grabbed 11 boards. The Suns were ahead 84–72 going into the fourth, but they missed 13 of their next 14 goals and turned the ball over 10 times in the next 10 minutes.

With 1:28 left to play, Durant scored on two straight possessions to tie the score at 91. In the process, he passed Hakeem Olajuwon for 12th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Durant missed a 3-point shot, but James answered with back-to-back layups. In the last seconds, Austin Reaves and Davis both made free throws.

It was strange that Durant and James hadn’t played each other in the NBA since Christmas 2018. Injuries, health and safety rules, and managing their workloads kept them from playing in the 13 previous games between James’ Lakers and Durant’s Warriors, Nets, and Suns.

Frank Vogel, the coach of the Phoenix Suns, went back to play the Lakers for the first time since being fired 18 months ago. Eric Gordon scored 15 points in the game.

James and the Lakers both agreed that James would play fewer minutes this season, but the plan wasn’t carried out, and James stayed on the court all the way through the fourth to make the Lakers win.

James is about to start his third decade in the NBA, and the Lakers are determined to limit his playing time to protect his health. However, Los Angeles had a terrible first half when James wasn’t on the court.

During the first break, the Lakers showed a video tribute to Vogel. This month, Vogel led the Lakers to their 17th title as a franchise in the Florida bubble. But they fired him exactly 18 months later when his injury-plagued team missed the playoffs.

Booker missed the game because his left foot hurt after he hurt it late in Tuesday’s game against Golden State, when he scored 28 points. Beal still hasn’t played for the Suns because his lower back hurts.

Because Jarred Vanderbilt hurt his left heel, Los Angeles didn’t play. Vanderbilt is expected to start for the Lakers instead of Taurean Prince when he is healthy. Prince didn’t score in 18 minutes.