LOS ANGELES — The matchup was shortchanged. The actual contest wasn’t. That was the essence of Lakers vs. Suns, where two stars were missing with injuries — Devin Booker and Bradley Beal — but the two everyone came to see weren’t.

That would be LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Each had moments, were engaged in a heightened fourth quarter and created suspense until the end. This is what basketball was deprived of for five years. That’s how long LeBron and Durant went without sharing the floor until Thursday, a pause caused by injuries to both.

But it was worth the wait.

“We don’t have many matchups left,” James said. “Two of the greatest players to ever play this game.”

Here are Five Takeaways from the Lakers’ 100-95 win and why it was closer than expected, and the early season issues facing both teams and the stars:

1. LeBron minutes restriction plan lasts 1 game

The Lakers needed a player in his 21st season to burn calories the entire fourth quarter against a team missing two stars. That said something about the Lakers, and spoke volumes about James. He not only survived, but thrived.

This is the tightrope the Lakers must walk in their goal to keep James fresh and healthy all season while trying to win. Can they do both? James played 29 minutes in the season-opening loss to the Denver Nuggets. He wondered about the wisdom of sitting for long stretches in potentially winnable games.

LeBron seals the deal 😤

In-arena view📹 https://t.co/5h8wf0WlWL pic.twitter.com/VBCXmjypwF

— NBA (@NBA) October 27, 2023

When Anthony Davis failed to take charge in the fourth quarter of that game — he went scoreless — James and the Lakers apparently had a change of plans against the Suns. And no doubt, ego was involved — a loss to the short-handed Suns and Durant would’ve been unacceptable for James.

James scored 10 in the fourth, put the Lakers up for good by splitting two defenders for a layup, then added another. He also had a chase-down block. It was a man, who turns 39 in December, playing 35 minutes on a mission.

Look, the Lakers were in the mud for much of the game, down 12 after one quarter, four at the half, then 12 again after three quarters once Durant went ballistic. Something, or someone, had to happen.

“Tonight called for me to go outside the box,” James said.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said the minutes restriction wasn’t scrapped, just lifted in this situation. And going forward, lots depends on the supporting cast.

“Once we get more comfortable with each other, he’s not playing 35 minutes,” Ham said. “Once our guys get caught up to speed, he’ll be back I his sweet spot with his minutes.”

2. Durant looked stranded at times

He’s a great player, obviously. He can still carry a team, obviously. But there’s something else that’s obvious: Phoenix put its championship hopes on Durant, Booker and Beal staying healthy and being on the floor together.

If one’s out, the Suns can stay afloat for a while. If it’s two, they’re in trouble. They’re top-heavy.

Their depth appears average at best. And the load that Durant had to carry eventually took its toll, as expected, against the Lakers.

They switched defenders, threw double-teams at him and beat him up all night. He took control anyway — showing once again why he’s an all-timer — in the third quarter when he scored 15 points. But was toast by the fourth, forced into taking too many tough shots.

“It’s hard to maneuver when everybody is just watching me at all times,” he said. “They played almost a zone when I caught the ball.”

When the Suns get whole, Durant will feed two certified bucket-getters in this situation. Until then, he’s throwing it to Grayson Allen and Josh Okogie.

3. Phoenix is vertically challenged

The Suns made out decently when they essentially swapped starting centers, getting Jusuf Nurkic for Deandre Ayton. Nurkic seems a better fit, as a big body for defense and rebounds, and a player who won’t whine about shots on a team with three big scorers.

Beyond him, however, Phoenix is vulnerable in the paint, and it showed against the Lakers. Nurkic was in foul trouble, and when he sat, the Suns’ most effective center was … Durant. As if the man didn’t have enough on his plate already Thursday, he had to defend Davis several times.

When Nurkic gets subbed out, a proven big man isn’t checking in for Phoenix, and this could be a factor against, for example, the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic. This could change between now and the trade deadline. Until then? Durant, Booker and Beal better score plenty of points, and if they do, it won’t matter.

4. Anthony Davis awakens

It didn’t take long for Davis to take social media flap for turning to vapor in the season opener. This happens when you miss all six second half shots and the Lakers lose. Ham didn’t have a big issue with that, in a sense.

“All I want him to do is be aggressive,” the coach said. “He does that, then I can live with the results, good or bad.”

Brow meant business 〰️ pic.twitter.com/6Tr2uGXYwv

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 27, 2023

It was a different Davis two nights later. In the fourth quarter alone, he attacked, went to the line seven times, scored 13 points. He finished with 30 points. Sure, he did this against a foul-weakened Nurkic and Drew Eubanks, but still.

5. The Player Participation Police won’t arrest the Suns

So … how’s that policy going so far? In conjunction with the player’s union, the league instituted a set of guidelines designed to make players … play basketball. Meaning, get rid of load management once and for all.

And this is especially sensitive when it comes to national TV games. Well, the policy was more of an issue Thursday in the Sixers-Bucks game, where James Harden was a non-injury scratch. Not Suns-Lakers.

That’s because Booker and Beal were classified as injured players needing time to heal. Booker tweaked his foot near the end of the opener with the Warriors, and Beal has dealt with low back tightness since the end of the preseason.

There’s no legit reason why the Suns wouldn’t want both players in the lineup two games into the season. There’s nothing to gain by load managing them this early.

Coach Frank Vogel said: “I wouldn’t say it’s more serious … they can’t play tonight.”

So they didn’t. And it was an entertaining game anyway.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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