It took two seasons and nearly 10 games, but the Lakers finally lost their first NBA Cup game on Tuesday after being dominated by the Suns 127-100.

In a story that mirrored their performance against the Nuggets, the Lakers followed a solid first half with a miserable third quarter. Phoenix outscored the purple-gold 36-18 in the third period to take control of the game.

Anthony Davis dominated with 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, one steal and four blocks. Austin Reaves managed 15 points on 6-12 shooting.

LeBron James scored 18 points with 10 assists and eight bounces off. Rui Hachimura had seven Points. D’Angelo Russell finished the game with 16 points off the bench.

Both teams got off to a fiery start, pun intended, trading baskets back and forth. AD and LeBron carried the Lakers’ offensive load. AD came off the field early and converted all of his mid-range shots and one dunk. Not only was LeBron making shots, but he was also dishing out dimes, including a nice pass to Rui for a dunk.

Bradley Beal, returning from injury, hit two wide-open 3-pointers for the Suns. Phoenix was ahead by two with two minutes left in the quarter. Devin Booker also started heating up with two straight mid-range shots.

Without AD, neither team made too much of an effort defensively. At the end of the first period, the Suns were ahead 31:25.

The Lakers got within three early in the second quarter. Both teams still didn’t play much defense. Offensively, the Suns were a step ahead of LA and kept them on top. Although the Lakers started the quarter shaky offensively, they managed to stay within single digits.

Los Angeles struggled to guard the perimeter, which led to the Suns taking a lot of shots from distance. Kevin Durant was automatic and already connected with two 3-pointers. The Suns were up at eight.

Austin went on its own 8-0 run and the game ended in a tie. The Lakers were ahead by one after an and-1 from AD.

The half ended with two great plays, one when Suns rookie Ryan Dunn redirected a shot into the goal and Austin knocked down a middy for LA. At halftime Phoenix was ahead by two.

Austin picked up where he left off in the second quarter by drilling a 3-pointer to start the second half. After a dismal first half, Jusuf Nurkić scored ten points for the Suns in the third quarter, leaving the Lakers behind by six points.

The energy for Los Angeles was down. Their shots weren’t falling and their defense was atrocious. The Suns went up by 11 and forced a timeout. A three-pointer from KD only added to their momentum.

Phoenix went on a 19-4 run, LA trailed by 17 and was facing its first loss in the NBA Cup. A three-pointer from Dalton Knecht briefly stopped some of the bleeding. There was nothing positive to say about the end of the third period for the Lakers as the Suns were ahead by 20 points.

A three-pointer from Beal opened the final frame. The Lakers moved from the 3-point line but missed quickly. The energy and effort wasn’t there, which ultimately led to JJ Redick being the starter heading into back-to-back games on Wednesday.

Key Takeaways:

This team can’t just rely on AD and LeBron to win. It’s a team effort. Wake up.

It’s the second season in a row that the Lakers are in desperate need of Jarred Vanderbilt’s defense while he’s sidelined with injury. Who will rise? Someone needs to step up their defenses. Here too, it is a team effort.

We’ve seen the Lakers do this far too often: They have a bad turnover and then start making ridiculous 3-pointers while the opposing team cooks them up to a crisp. Where’s the logic in that?

The Lakers’ next game is against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.