Mike Budenholzer likes Ighodaro’s IQ. The rookie’s ability to find open teammate when receiving the pass after teams double the ball handler on ball screens is huge. Ighodaro found Beal with a bounce pass for a layup in the first half.

Bradley Beal and Durant both made their return for Tuesday’s showdown against the Los Angeles Lakers (10-7) at Footprint Center in NBA Cup West Group B play. The team's leading scorer at 27.6 points a game, Durant hit his first shot, 3-pointer, to begin a 23-point night in the Suns' 127-100 win to snap a five-game losing skid.