Lonzo Ball describes his relationship with LeBron James and what it was like playing with LeBron for the first time. (0:58)

LAS VEGAS -- LeBron James welcomed Lonzo Ball back to action Wednesday with a perfect alley-oop lob that Ball flushed with two hands on a well-executed give-and-go.

The Los Angeles Lakers got their first glimpse of James and Ball, last year's No. 2 overall pick, on the floor together and liked what they saw in the limited minutes the Lakers played their core rotation players.

In what likely could have been James' final dress rehearsal for the regular season, he put on a show in Las Vegas with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and delivered his first buzzer-beater as a Laker -- a 35-footer from the left corner near midcourt at the end of the first half. Despite James playing just 17 minutes, all in the first half, the Lakers held off the defending champion Golden State Warriors 123-113.

Stephen Curry scored 23 points, and Klay Thompson added 20 points. Kevin Durant had 18 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out with 5 minutes, 7 seconds left in the third quarter.

While James looks to be in midseason form already, the Lakers wanted to take a close look at Ball, who had not played since his last game of his rookie season back on March 28. After undergoing surgery on a torn left meniscus in mid-July, Ball has been eased back into action by the Lakers.

Coming off the bench with Rajon Rondo starting, Ball played 23 minutes and came away feeling good afterward. Ball, who looked noticeably stronger after spending much of the offseason in the weight room and gaining 15 pounds, hit 3-of-5 shots and had seven points, four rebounds, four steals, two assists and three turnovers.

With former Lakers legends Magic Johnson and Shaquille O'Neal watching from courtside, Ball got off to a rusty start, turning the ball over twice and firing an airball on his first shot attempt from behind the 3-point arc. But he settled down, got his wind and opened the second quarter with the alley-oop that James perfectly timed as if the pair had been playing together for a long time.

The play, which involves a back screen on Ball's man, is something the Lakers have often called for Ball, though this was the first time it was executed with James throwing the lob.