The Phoenix Suns hold off LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the final seconds

PHOENIX – Trailing by as many as 18, the Phoenix Suns emerged victorious over the Los Angeles Lakers 109-105 on Monday night.

Phoenix, now 3-1, handed the Lakers (3-1) their first loss of the season after blowing a 22-point lead against Los Angeles just days ago on Friday.

It was a rare off-night for LeBron James, who scored just 11 points on 3-for-14 shooting from the field.

The Lakers took a 23-8 lead thanks to a quick 11 points from Anthony Davis. In a quarter that could have turned very ugly very quickly, the Suns finished strong, trailing by just nine, 34-25. Kevin Durant finished the quarter with 12 points as Los Angeles shot 52% from the field as a team.

A quick 9-2 lead early in the second quarter forced Lakers coach JJ Redick to call a timeout and regroup his troops.

Phoenix kept its deficit at about seven for most of the quarter, although Devin Booker (who had 14 points in the second quarter) fired a corner three-pointer with 40 seconds left in the half, giving Phoenix its first lead since the early stages of the game .

The Suns took a 50-48 lead into the locker room despite lackluster three-point shooting (26%).

It was a rather uneventful third quarter for Phoenix, whose lead slowly dwindled over the course of 12 minutes and the Lakers eventually led 83-76 heading into the final quarter. Los Angeles made seven of 10 three-point attempts in the third period.

There was an exchange of baskets in the fourth quarter that lasted until the final stages of the game, where the fight entered the final seconds of regulation time.

With the Suns taking the lead with three seconds left, the Lakers were forced to the foul line with six seconds left. After James made the first free throw, his second attempt (an intentional miss) eventually made its way to the other side of the court, where Bradley Beal was fouled and ended up sinking two shots from the stripe to end the game.

Kevin Durant – 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four blocks
Devin Booker – 33 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal
Bradley Beal – 15 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block

Anthony Davis – 29 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, three blocks
LeBron James –11 points, five rebounds, eight assists
Austin Reaves – 23 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals

The Suns play the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.