Better late than never even in a game that doesn’t count in the standings.
Nurkic hadn’t played all preseason because of an injured left middle finger while Booker missed the previous two preseason games with right ankle soreness.
All five starters reached double figures with Booker scoring a team-high 22 points. Durant went for 19 points, Nurkic delivered 15, Beal chipped in 13 and Jones added 11.
Anthony Davis and rookie Dalton Knecht each scored 35 points to lead the Lakers.
The Lakers rested LeBron James, but the Suns treated this like a dress rehearsal going into a regular season that begins Oct. 23 at the Los Angeles Clippers.
They had Booker, Durant, Beal and Jones still on the floor, along with backup big Mason Plumlee, with under five minutes left in the game.
Here are three takeaways as the Suns will have five days between Thursday’s preseason finale and the Oct. 23 opener.
Nurkic debut grade B-
He’s definitely south of 290 pounds. Looks around 270, maybe a little lighter.
Came out bombing away from 3 as coach Mike Budenholzer has demanded. Hit his first one, but Davis was cooking from 3-point land off screen-and-pop.
Davis hit four of his first five from 3 in scoring 14 quick points in the first. Davis is a matchup problem for all bigs and Nurkic continues to struggle checking him even with the lighter feet.
Nurkic has never been the best in pick-and-roll coverage, but he should improve with playing time.
The 7-footer had a much better start to the second half. He went coast-to-coast for a layup and drew the foul, scored on the inside and did a better job guarding Davis, particularly on a Davis drive. He was called for the foul, but his initial reaction was good in trying to meet Davis at the rim.
Overall, decent-to-solid debut in 17 minutes of action. Nurkic shot 6-of-11 from the field, grabbed seven boards and blocked two shots, but was also called for three fouls.
Combinations
Budenholzer continues to have different lineups in what may become the norm. This is a guy who would take Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the game in the first quarter while coaching Milwaukee.
So, when you see Booker heading to the bench in the first when he’s typically played an entire first quarter, don’t be surprised.
Budenholzer’s lineups ranged from Beal being the only starter to Nurkic and rookie Oso Ighodaro on the floor together to Durant playing the three with two bigs on the court.
He had played 11 guys in the game’s first 18 to 19 minutes.
The question is will the lineup mixes involve nine, 10, 11 or 12 guys? Grayson Allen was out with a sore Achilles. He’ll certainly be in the rotation when healthy.
Rookie Ryan Dunn should be in the mix. Budenholzer has options, but what will his minute count be for Booker, Durant and Beal? Booker would’ve probably played more than 28 minutes. He dinged up his right ankle on a contested drive, but he continued playing.
Durant played 31 minutes and Beal saw action in 30. Keep an eye on how consistent the minutes are for the Big 3 regardless of how the game is unfolding.
Scoring not a problem, defense is
The Suns only stopped themselves on offense with the turnovers, committing 15 that led to 13 points for the Lakers.
Beal committed five. Still hasn’t found a consistent way to play and had some struggles defensively in committing four fouls and shot 1-of-6 from 3.
Phoenix only got up 36 shots from 3, making 12, but shot 47% overall. They still put up 122 points without much from the 3 and giving away possessions. That’s how special they can be on offense.
Defensively, that’s another story. Again, they lack size as evidence in giving up 14 offensive rebounds and 21 second-chance points.
Still having trouble getting around pick-and-roll as that allows open shots. The Lakers also got some straight-line drives to the rim.
Again, it’s preseason.