Longtime Pacific Division counterparts renew their rivalry for the first time in the 2024-25 season on Friday when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Phoenix Suns.
Both Los Angeles and Phoenix won in their regular-season openers. Kevin Durant’s 25 points paced all five Suns starters scoring in double figures, while Bradley Beal added 24 points in a 116-113 overtime defeat of the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, spoiling the opening of Intuit Dome for the hosts.
The combination of Durant and Beal’s scoring, while Devin Booker added 15 points with 4-of-5 3-point shooting and six assists, was a welcomed way for Phoenix to start its season. The trio only played together 41 times in an up-and-down 2023-24 campaign that ended with the Suns swept out of the first round of the postseason by Minnesota.
“It’s just one game. We want to keep building,” Durant said in his postgame interview with ESPN. “We just have a system we can rely on for four quarters (with) coach (Mike Budenholzer) calling plays, guys getting out on the break and running and passing the ball.”
Wednesday’s win marked the regular-season debut of Budenholzer on the Phoenix sideline. He was previously head coach at Milwaukee where he won an NBA championship in 2021, beating the Suns in the Finals.
Budenholzer’s Bucks teams were consistently among the highest-scoring in the league. Durant’s comments following the win over the Clippers alluded to the wide-open style that Phoenix is likely to employ with its new head coach.
The Lakers won their own debut under a new head coach, JJ Redick. The offseason hire of the first-timer Redick, who was working in media since retiring from the NBA in 2021, raised eyebrows.
However, Los Angeles scored a 110-103 win over Minnesota on Tuesday in Redick’s debut behind a stellar performance from Anthony Davis. The veteran big man finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots to set the pace.
“The game plan, the schemes that he has on both sides of the floor, he trusts us and we trust him,” Davis said of Redick. “It’s our job to go out and execute it. … Our game plan was elite.”
Austin Reaves added 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while Rui Hachimura finished with 18 points and five rebounds.
LeBron James, tipping off his 22nd season, finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Most notable for James was the brief time he shared the floor with his son, Bronny, who played less than three minutes in his NBA debut.
While the role for the junior James off the Lakers bench remains to be seen, his fellow rookie, Dalton Knecht, appears poised for significant contributions.
Knecht had five points, two assists and a steal playing almost 16 minutes. His preseason included a 37-point performance.
Jaxson Hayes also made an impact coming off the bench on Tuesday with 10 points. The post player should see significant playing time while the Lakers await the return of Jarred Vanderbilt from a heel injury.
