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

James made the game-winning layup with 1:11 left in the game. The Lakers were down 12 points at the start of the fourth, but they came back to win their first game of the season and James’ 21st NBA season.

Devin Booker and Bradley Beal were both hurt, so the Suns couldn’t play. Kevin Durant had 39 points and 11 rebounds. As the fourth quarter began, the Suns were ahead 84–72. However, they missed 13 of their next 14 shots and lost the ball 10 times in the next 10 minutes.

With 1:28 left in the game, Durant scored twice in a row to tie the game at 91. He passed Hakeem Olajuwon to become the 12th highest scorer in NBA history.

Durant missed a 3-point shot, but James made two straight layups to answer. In the very last second, both Austin Reaves and Davis made free throws.

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It was strange that Durant and James hadn’t played in the NBA since Christmas 2018. The 13 games between James’ Lakers and Durant’s Warriors, Nets, and Suns that they hadn’t played in because of injuries, health and safety rules, and managing their schedules.

Phoenix Suns coach Frank Vogel played the Lakers again after being fired 18 months ago. It was the first time he had done so since being fired. There were 15 points made by Eric Gordon in the game.

James and the Lakers both decided that James would play less this season, but they didn’t follow through with their plan. James played all the way through the fourth quarter to help the Lakers win.

James is almost 30 years old and will be in the NBA for another 10 years. To protect his health, the Lakers are determined to limit his playing time. LA, on the other hand, played badly in the first half when James wasn’t there.

In honor of Vogel, the Lakers showed a movie during the first break. Vogel led the Lakers to their 17th title this month as a team in the Florida bubble. But they fired him exactly 18 months later when his hurt team didn’t make the playoffs.

Bookinger didn’t play because his left foot hurt after getting hurt late in Tuesday’s game against Golden State, in which he scored 28 points. Beal hasn’t played for the Suns yet because his back hurts.

L.A. didn’t play because Jarred Vanderbilt hurt his left heel. He is likely to start for the Lakers instead of Taurean Prince once he gets better. It took 18 minutes for Prince to score.