The Los Angeles Lakers had to beat the Phoenix Suns on Friday in the first game of the NBA’s In-Season Tournament to make up for a bad road trip.

Anthony Davis would come back after missing the game against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. He would give the team a much-needed boost. His co-star LeBron James really shone with 32 points, six assists, and 11 rebounds on 11-for-17 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 from 3. He had a tough game individually.

Kevin Durant, the star player for the Suns, answered with 38 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. He made 13 of 27 shots from the field and 4 of 6 from long range. Since 2018, James and Durant haven’t been able to play together. It’s been fun to watch the Lakers and Suns play each other early in the season.

The Lakers won in the end 122-119, and James talked about what it was like to share the court with Durant, since both are very good players and two of the best to ever do it, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“Of course, our first home game this season was against Phoenix. After the game and when we talked to the media, we talked about how special it is to always play against KD, who is one of the best players in NBA history.” We’ve played each other a lot over the course of our careers and even had the chance to play together on an Olympic team. We’ve both left our mark on the past of this game. I already said it’s a treat to share the stage with him. If we played against each other during the normal season and the playoffs, like I said, it would be like what we did in the summer. What a great player! He is one of the best basketball players of all time, and it’s always a pleasure to play against him.

James had nice things to say about Durant, and it’s clear that Durant respects James. The two have had famous fights throughout their careers, and they are now nearing the end of their careers. But it looks like both James and Durant still have a lot to offer the game, so we can expect more intense games between the two.

When the two teams were supposed to play, James and Durant were both hurt when the Lakers played the Warriors on Christmas Day in 2018. Two early season games between the Suns and Lakers were set up by the NBA so that fans could see these two giants play against each other at least twice. Two more games are planned for later in the year.