LeBron James delivered at both ends in the closing seconds, sinking two free throws with three seconds left before swatting away Grayson Allen’s potential game-winning 3-pointer, lifting the Los Angeles Lakers to a dramatic 116-114 win over the host Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.
Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 29 points, James added 26, and Deandre Ayton posted a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Los Angeles flipped the game after trailing 77-71, holding Phoenix scoreless for 8:05 bridging the third and fourth quarters and erupting on a decisive 24-0 run to seize a 95-77 advantage.
Phoenix surged back late and briefly reclaimed the lead at 114-113 when Dillon Brooks drilled his third 3-pointer of the fourth quarter with 12.2 seconds remaining. But Brooks, already hit with a technical foul for jawing with James, was assessed a second for celebrating and ejected.
James missed the ensuing free throw, then attacked again – pulling up from beyond the arc and drawing a three-shot foul on Devin Booker. He made the final two attempts to put the Lakers back in front.
Down one, the Suns got one final look, but James blocked Allen’s potential game-winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer to seal the win.
Phoenix last scored on two free throws by Booker with 5:28 remaining in the third quarter and did not score again until the third minute of the fourth. During the drought, the Suns missed 14 straight shots and committed seven turnovers.
Doncic was the game’s leading scorer despite missing 12 of his 14 attempts from 3-point range. The Lakers shot just 7 of 37 from deep.
Jaxson Hayes added 12 points for Los Angeles, which avenged an earlier 125-108 home loss to the Suns.
Booker scored 27 points, Mark Williams had 20 and Brooks added 18 for Phoenix, which lost despite outshooting the Lakers 48.8% to 43.2% overall and 35.1% to 18.9% from 3-point range.
Allen finished with 13 points and shared game-high assist honors with Booker with seven. Royce O’Neale added 12 points and Collin Gillespie scored 10.
