5 things learned from Phoenix Suns final preseason game versus Los Angeles Lakers

PALM DESERT, Calif. — Devin Booker elected to sit out the final preseason game, Bradley Beal still having low back tightness and Kevin Durant proceeded to have a first half scoring duel with LeBron James.

The Phoenix Suns ended their five-game preseason slate with a 123-100 win Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lakers at Acrisure Arena in the Greater Palm Springs area.

Here are five things learned from Thursday’s game as both teams play their regular season opener Tuesday on the NBA’s opening night.

The Lakers are in Denver as the defending NBA champion Nuggets will have their ring ceremony while the Suns play at Golden State in their first meeting against Chris Paul since trading him in the offseason.

Durant, James didn’t disappoint

They hadn’t shared the same court since Christmas 2018 when Durant was with the Warriors.

It’s just preseason, but both made up for lost time.

Durant had 21 points at the half on 8-of-14 shooting, going 2-of-3 from 3 while James scored 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, hitting 3-of-5 from distance.

James finished with those 19 points, six rebounds and three assists as he played in the third quarter while Durant shut it down after halftime.

Durant had a slow start in missing six out of seven shots the first quarter, but he caught fire in the second quarter with a perfect 7-of-7 effort that resulted in 16 points in the second.

Crazy.

They didn’t guard each other, but Durant and James had a sequence in which they answered each other with buckets and plays in the second quarter.

10:40 to 9:29 mark — James finds Jaxson Hayes for layup, Durant hits midrange jumper, James to the rim, Durant nails fadeaway.

They played, they balled out, they didn't disappoint for fans who rarely get to see NBA basketball.

Nurkic struggles vs. Davis

The Suns are going likely run into one, if not both of these bigs come playoff time — two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis.

He had his share of struggles against Jokic in the preseason, but who doesn’t.

Davis is a more than a handful too and Nurkic missed his first six shots from the field and gathered up five fouls early in the second half.

Three of Davis’ five first half blocks were against Nurkic, who tried to lay it up on him.

The key there is Davis had the space to block the shots. The one basket Nurkic got him inside in the second half, he got into Davis’ body and scored.

Nurkic finished the game going 1-of-11 from the field for just three points. He grabbed eight rebounds, but the 7-footer had an overall rough night.

Davis got the better of Nurkic on the offensive end too in scoring 13 of his 15 points in the first half.

The Suns can combat Davis more with team defense, but Nurkic still must check him 1-on-1 at points in the game. Maybe the more athletic Drew Eubanks can have moments against Davis.

As good as the Suns are and can be and as much as the game is perimeter driven, Jokic and Davis can dictate the actions of their teams. The whole thing with Deandre Ayton was he didn’t fare well against Davis and Jokic.

Nurkic is just learning Vogel’s system like everyone else on the Suns, but he needs to be better defensively and make Jokic and Davis work on defense.

Nassir Little emerging?

His shot has improved, he’s athletic and long, is active and competes.

Nassir Little came to Phoenix in the three-team trade with Portland and Milwaukee.

He gives the Suns a variety of things, but if he can consistently hit the open shot, he’ll find himself on the floor more and more.

Little shot 5-of-7 from the field for 11 points and grabbed four boards in 21 minutes.

The Suns are still figuring out that 10-man rotation. Little is making a case to be part of it.

Vogel’s got some kick

He’s pretty mild mannered off the court.

Easy to talk to and approachable.

On it, he’s getting after referees and his team. He screamed out at the officials so loud, it could be heard atop the lower level seats with a pretty lively crowd.

For those who haven’t been paying much attention to Vogel on the sidelines since he’s joined the Suns, check him out starting Tuesday at Golden State.

Dude gets after it.

One last thing

Suns got out of preseason relatively healthy as Damion Lee is the only one with a serious injury (knee surgery on meniscus).

Health is perhaps the biggest concern for the Suns considering their top four guys — Booker, Durant, Beal and Nurkic — but they each appear fine and ready to go.

Beal is experiencing low back tightness, but would likely play through it in the regular season.

Vogel was praised for how he handled a veteran roster when coaching the Lakers.

He’s doing the same with the Suns. He doesn’t have shootarounds before every game.

How he manages the roster will be key for the Suns beyond the regular season.

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kevin Durant, LeBron James perform in Suns-Lakers preseason finale