Pacific Notes: LeBron, Davis, Suns, Warriors, Curry

An unexpected development for the break-in Lakers has lost the minutes when its two stars are on the court together, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Entering Tuesday night, LA was outscoring the game by 5.5 points per 100 possessions for the 365 minutes it lasted LeBron James And Anthony Davis were both in the game.

Price adds that there are several glaring problems with the James Davis lineups. No matter who else is playing with them, the groups haven’t recovered well or forced enough turnovers, and they’re allowing their opponents to shoot from the field at high rates.

The inability to gain an advantage when their best players share the court has contributed to the Lakers’ recent slowdown after a 10-4 start, but Coach JJ Redick does not consider this a cause for alarm.

“No worries, not worried at all” Redick said. “It’s more about diving deeper into the why and trying to correct it yourself.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

• The return on Tuesday Kevin Durant And Bradley Beal has that Suns is looking like an elite team again, observes Doug Haller of The Athletic. Durant and Beal fueled a 27-point Lakers win in an NBA Cup game, a reminder of how good the team looked in its 8-1 start to the season. “I just wanted to be out there with the boys.” said Durant, who missed seven games with a left calf strain. “Wanted to travel. When you’re injured, you’re still part of the team, you’re still in the squad, but there’s a certain separation (from the guys who play). I just wanted to be part of the group again.”
• Defense has become a problem warrior in their last two games, notes Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle. They blew a 17-point second-half lead in Saturday’s loss to San Antonio and blew an 18-point lead against Brooklyn on Monday. The Warriors ranked 25th in team defense in those two games, allowing a cruel 154.2 points per 100 possessions in the combined fourth quarters. Defensive topics were the focus of training on Tuesday. “Our communication wasn’t good and we didn’t turn and catch the box like we normally would.” Kevon Looney said about Monday’s game. “(Assistant coach and defensive coordinator Jerry Stackhouse) talks about how we were early, we were aggressive and I think we were half a second late on everything.”
• After being listed as questionable on Tuesday, warrior guard Stephen Curry will sit out today’s game against Oklahoma City due to bilateral knee soreness, Gordon adds in a separate story. This will be Curry’s fourth missed game of the season and Golden State has won the first three.