Watch: Lakers give up another big third quarter run vs. Suns

The Phoenix Suns outscored the Lakers 36-18 in the third quarter on their way to a 127-100 win in their NBA Cup game Tuesday night. 

The Suns closed the quarter on a 22-6 run after the Lakers took an early 64-62 lead. But Los Angeles' inconsistent defense (ranked 26th in the NBA) let them down after halftime once again.

First, Jusuf Nurkic scored nine straight Phoenix points.

Then it was Devin Booker's turn, scoring 11 points in two minutes and outscoring the Lakers by nine points by himself in that stretch.

Kevin Durant, playing his first game back from injury, delivered a three-pointer and a dunk.

By the end of the quarter, the Lakers were down 20 points and their perfect record in NBA Cup games (9-0) was no more. But it's the third game in a row where something similar has happened.

Thursday, the Orlando Magic got back into their game with a 13-3 third quarter run, before Franz Wagner's three-pointer won it in the final seconds. Saturday, the Lakers led the Denver Nuggets by six points at halftime before the Nuggets scored the first eight points and demolished the Lakers, 37-15 in the quarter.

The Lakers' collapse continued in the fourth, where LeBron James, the king of the chase down block, got his own shot blocked from behind by Bradley Beal.

It's the second straight loss by more than 25 points for the Lakers, and amazingly, they led in the third quarter in both those games. They don't have much time to correct this slide, as they face Victor Wembanyama and the resurgent San Antonio Spurs Wednesday and the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

Maybe it reflects the age of the roster, or perhaps the Lakers aren't making enough adjustments. All things considered, the locker room attendant may need to start serving coffee and Red Bulls at halftime to make sure the Lakers don't sleepwalk through the third.