The Lakers had a thrilling finish in the debuts of LeBron James and Anthony Davis on Sunday, but it ended with the familiar result as the Purple and Gold lost 118-114 to the Suns.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis delivered in their first minutes of the preseason. LeBron finished with 19 points on 8-12 shooting in 16 minutes of the first half. AD scored 17 points with eight rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes. Neither played in the second half.

D’Angelo Russell scored 14 points and went 6-12 from the field. Rui Hachimura had a nice game with 13 points and eight rebounds. Austin Reaves contributed nine points, six rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Numerous young Lakers saw action towards the end of the fourth period, with Jalen Hood-Schifino, Max Christie, Bronny James, Dalton Knecht and Colin Castleton finishing the game. Christie had 12 points on 3-for-14 shooting, JHS had nine points and Knecht had seven.

The Lakers quickly took a 4-0 lead after Reaves threw a lob to AD, followed by a layup from Reaves. AD also knocked down a 3-pointer and the offense was hot for Los Angeles. LeBron was in prime “Blocked by James” form, hitting two shots, one of which found his Olympic teammate Devin Booker.

The Lakers built a comfortable lead of 10. Jaxson Hayes dove for the ball and threw it to LeBron for a dunk that electrified the crowd and gave the Lakers a nine-point lead after scoring.

The Lakers didn’t start the second quarter well offensively. LeBron knocked down a 3-pointer, but no one else could score and the Suns fought their way up, making it a two-point game. Phoenix continued to score, but the Lakers ignited their offense and extended their lead to nine.

Three minutes before halftime, the Suns made a three-point play, but LeBron answered with a three-pointer. The Lakers began pouring out on offense once again, with LeBron continuing to dominate the quarter. At halftime, LA was ahead 69-57.

As expected, the Stars were substituted for both teams at the start of the second half. The Lakers continued their great offense well into the quarter. Cam Reddish got his first minutes of the preseason and made a 3-pointer.

Phoenix made it a four-point game as the quarter came to a close. As the seconds ticked away, Gabe Vincent hit a three-pointer to end the third. Los Angeles was up 95-82.

In the final frame, both teams played lineups that we will likely never see again after the preseason ends. Phoenix’s offense was in full swing and they made it a one-point game while LA struggled. The Suns took the lead after six minutes, but JHS’ three-point play helped the Lakers retake the lead.

Max Christie scored in double figures and gave the team trouble with his offensive firepower. LA took the lead back by one. Both teams had a tough competition and the young people were given time to shine.

The Suns took a comfortable lead, but the young Lakers kept fighting, cutting the deficit to two in the final 12 seconds. Knecht tried a three-pointer to take the lead, but the goal failed and Phoenix scored on the other end, which secured the victory.

Key Takeaways:

When the Lakers have LeBron and AD out there, great things happen. Tonight was a nice look at the potential of what we will see this season.

Reaves, D’Lo and Rui all seem to have found their season form. Rui looks more confident with his shot selection and defense.

The entire team looked much better in this second preseason game than they did in the first.

The Lakers’ next preseason game is against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.