James led the Los Angeles Lakers to a narrow victory over the Phoenix Suns, blowing a 20-point lead.
Published December 15, 2025
LeBron James gave Los Angeles the lead with two free throws with three seconds left, then blocked Grayson Allen’s potential game-winning 3-pointer at the other end, and the Lakers survived a wild finish to beat the host Phoenix Suns 116-114 on Sunday night.
Luka Doncic had 29 points, James had 26 points, Deandre Ayton had 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who had a double-double and trailed 77-71.The Lakers held Phoenix scoreless until 8:05 between the third and fourth periods, then went on a 24-0 run to take a 95-77 lead.
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Dillon Brooks sank his third with 12.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter, giving the Suns the lead back at 114-113. However, Brooks was given a technical foul for locking jaws with James, and was ejected for being hit with a second “T” while celebrating his success.
James missed the ensuing free throw, but pulled up from beyond the arc with three seconds left and fouled Devin Booker for a three-shot. He made his final two attempts to regain the lead.
Down by one point, the Suns made one final shot, but James blocked Allen’s potential game-winning 3-pointer, and Marcus Smart, who was fouled after grabbing the rebound, added a free throw to make it a two-point lead.
Booker made two free throws with 5:28 left in the third period to give the Suns a 77-71 lead, but they did not allow a point until the third minute of the final period, falling behind 95-77 midway through. Phoenix missed 14 consecutive shots during the scoreless period and mixed in seven turnovers.
Doncic was the game’s leading scorer despite missing 12 of his 14 attempts from behind the 3-point line. The Lakers made just 7-of-37 shots from deep.
Jackson Hayes added 12 points for Los Angeles, which avenged a 125-108 home loss to the Suns.
Phoenix had 27 points from Booker, 20 from Mark Williams, and 18 from Brooks, but they lost despite outscoring the Lakers 48.8 percent to 43.2 percent overall and 35.1 percent to 18.9 percent on 3-point shooting.
Allen, who shared a game-high seven assists with Booker, scored 13 points for the Suns, followed by Royce O’Neal with 12 points and Collin Gillespie with 10 points.
