National Basketball Association
L.A. Lakers 117, Phoenix 107
When: 10:30 PM ET, Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #28 Mousa Dagher, #49 Tom Washington, #34 Kevin Cutler
Attendance: 18997

LeBron James recorded his eighth triple-double of the season with 31 points, 12 assists and 13 rebounds, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the visiting Phoenix Suns 117-107 on Wednesday night after blowing much of a 36-point lead.

Anthony Davis scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Lakers won their third consecutive contest and handed the Suns their ninth loss in 11 games. Kyle Kuzma added 19 points and Avery Bradley finished with 18 for Los Angeles.

Devin Booker led the Suns with 32 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 26. Deandre Ayton finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.

Phoenix used an 18-4 run to open the fourth quarter to close within 105-97 after a dunk by Ayton with 4:36 remaining. Another slam and a bucket inside by Oubre sliced the lead to seven with 2:13 left.

However, James' layup pushed the lead to 112-103 with 1:19 remaining. The Suns got no closer than seven the rest of the way as James clinched the win with free throws.

The Suns outscored the Lakers 66-43 in the second half.

The Lakers took command from the start before their poor performance in the fourth. They hit their first 11 shots from the floor en route to a 29-point lead in the first period. The Lakers finished the quarter ahead 43-17, their highest output in a quarter this season.

The Lakers outshot the Suns 70.4 percent to 26.1 percent in the quarter. Davis scored 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while Bradley added 10.

For the game, the Suns outshot the Lakers 48.8 percent to 47.8 percent.

Los Angeles held a 74-41 lead at the break.

With a second-quarter steal, Lakers center Dwight Howard became the sixth NBA player with 13,000 rebounds, 2,000 blocks and 1,000 steals, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Parish, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.

Lakers reserve guard Alex Caruso left the contest with right calf tightness.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Phoenix   L.A. Lakers
Devin Booker 32 Scoring LeBron James 31
Ricky Rubio 9 Assists LeBron James 12
Deandre Ayton 14 Rebounds LeBron James 13
Devin Booker 9 Free Throws Made LeBron James 8
Kelly Oubre Jr. 3 Steals Avery Bradley 3
Deandre Ayton 1 Blocks JaVale McGee 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Phoenix 107 48.8 6-23 17-23 32 47 3 7 15
L.A. Lakers 117 47.8 7-28 24-34 25 45 5 9 13
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game at home against New Orleans. The Lakers have a W/L % of .885 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Phoenix will play their next game at home against New York. The Suns have a W/L % of .231 after a win and .476 after a loss.