Suns-Lakers Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Feb 16 2012 4:14PM

Since the calendar flipped to February, Kobe Bryant has had a difficult time finding his stroke.

He had no such trouble knocking down shots against the Phoenix Suns last month.

In the opener of a home-and-home series Friday night, Bryant again tries to bounce back from a dismal performance when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Suns, whom he torched for nearly 50 points five weeks ago.

Bryant is averaging a league-best 28.7 points, but nothing has come easy lately for the two-time scoring champ. He finished with a season-low 10 points on 5-of-18 shooting against Atlanta on Tuesday, but the Lakers (17-12) held on for an 86-78 victory as they improved to 12-2 at home.

The 14-time All-Star has shot below 40.0 percent in six of seven games this month after failing to reach that mark in four of his first 22 contests. Brutal starts have been the biggest reason for his struggles.

Bryant went 1 for 10 before halftime Wednesday and has shot 21.7 percent (5 of 23) in the first half of the last three games.

Although he's been misfiring lately, Bryant had a season-best 48 points and went 18 for 31 in a 99-83 victory over the Suns on Jan. 10. He has routinely frustrated Phoenix, averaging 31.0 points in the last 23 meetings including the 2010 Western Conference finals. Los Angeles has won 17 of those games.

While the Lakers and Suns were known for their high-scoring ways over the past few seasons, neither has been as prolific in 2011-12.

Los Angeles is putting more of an emphasis on defense under new coach Mike Brown, allowing an average of 90.4 points - 5.0 fewer than last season. The Lakers held the Hawks to 34.4 percent shooting and improved to 13-1 when limiting opponents to 91 or fewer points.

"On the defense end of the floor I thought that our guys were very active," Brown said. "On the days when we don't shoot well, that's what's going to help us win ball games, especially come playoff time in a seven-game series."

The Lakers completely frustrated Grant Hill in the first meeting, limiting him to five points and 1-of-12 shooting. He posted his lowest field-goal percentage when attempting at least seven shots in his 17-year career.

Controlling the boards has also been a big key for the Lakers, who are averaging 45.3 rebounds per game.

Pau Gasol had 20 points and 13 rebounds against Atlanta, while Andrew Bynum had 15 points and 15 boards as Los Angeles finished with 52 rebounds.

The Lakers dominated the glass in the first meeting of the season with the Suns, outrebounding them 49-35 with five players grabbing at least seven boards.

Phoenix (12-18) fell 101-99 to Atlanta on Wednesday, completing a stretch of three games in as many nights with three losses. Steve Nash (22 points, 16 assists) and Hill (18 points) returned and played well after getting the night off Tuesday in a 109-92 loss to Denver, but the Suns had no answer for Josh Smith.

Phoenix, which led by as many as 15 in the third quarter, allowed Smith to score 20 of his 30 points after halftime.

"It's one of those deals where we played good basketball for 35-38 minutes but it's a 48-minute game," coach Alvin Gentry said.

The Suns, losers of nine of 10 at Staples Center against the Lakers, host Los Angeles on Sunday.

Kobe scores 36 to lead Lakers over Suns 111-99

Posted Feb 18 2012 2:44AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Kobe Bryant sent a pair of autographed sneakers upstairs to a Staples Center luxury suite, where Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping watched the NBA's leading scorer do his thing.

Bryant's timing couldn't have been better, because he scored 18 of his 36 points in the third quarter - the only one that Xi saw in its entirety. The Lakers went on to beat Phoenix 111-99 on Friday night, handing the Suns their fourth straight loss in a span of five days.

Bryant also had nine rebounds and six assists. He scored at least 40 in each of his previous two games against Phoenix, including a 48-point effort in the Lakers' 99-83 win on Jan. 10 at Staples Center - his highest-scoring game in the NBA without making a 3-pointer.

"Obviously, Kobe went off," teammate Andrew Bynum said. "He had 38 points, and the rest of us were just kind of filling in the gaps."

It was only the fourth time in 30 games this season that the Lakers reached the 100-point mark. Bynum had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Pau Gasol had 13 rebounds and 10 points, and Matt Barnes added 17 points off the bench along with seven boards in 25 minutes.

"I was just trying to be aggressive, capitalizing on mistakes and on the other team's ball-watching with Kobe, Pau and Drew," Barnes said. "Knowing they're going to lock in on those guys, usually they're going to get double- or triple-teamed."

Coach Mike Brown's much-maligned bench outscored the Lakers' starters 24-21 over the first 20 minutes, as Troy Murphy and Steve Blake hit 3-pointers 23 seconds apart to cap an 11-0 run that turned a one-point deficit into a 45-35 lead with 5:56 left in the second quarter.

"Our bench played very well," Bryant said. "They came in and executed. We're a different team when we're knocking down the 3-ball, because teams can't pack it in on me and they can't sink on Andrew and Pau. When we're knocking down 3-point shots, that changes things drastically."

Phoenix center Marcin Gortat, the only player to start all 31 games for the Suns, led them with 21 points and 16 rebounds on his 28th birthday. Steve Nash had 17 assists along with 11 points - and an uncharacteristic seven turnovers.

"They did a good job, but I also didn't capitalize on our opportunities," the two-time NBA MVP said. "I had some careless turnovers, and we just dug ourselves into a hole."

The Suns had 17 turnovers overall, which the Lakers converted into 21 points. The strangest one came early in the first quarter when Nash had the ball at the top of the key, tried to whip a pass to Jared Dudley in the left corner for a possible 3-point shot, and the ball ricocheted off teammate Grant Hill's head and out of bounds as Hill darted down the lane.

"Our problem started in the first half," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "You can't have 17 turnovers. They're 30th in the league at forcing turnovers, so we brought our problems on ourselves. They were unforced turnovers, really. We threw the ball away and we didn't protect the ball."

The Lakers took an 83-63 lead with an 18-2 run capped by Bryant's 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the third. Phoenix guard Shannon Brown, who won two championship rings with the Lakers, cut the margin to 87-73 with back-to-back 3s in the final 35 seconds of the quarter - one of them a buzzer-beater.

"It's the same thing that happened here last time," Gentry said. "I had to take Grant out of the game, and (Bryant) seems to explode every time I do that. I think he had 16 points when we took Grant out, and he had 32 when he got back in. Somebody else is going to have to step up and slow him down, at least."

Brown, the last player off Phoenix's bench, played 20 minutes and had 15 points after sitting out six of the previous seven games due to a coach's decision. He came in averaging 9.0 points and 21.1 minutes in 23 games since signing with Phoenix as a free agent on Dec. 11.

"He did a great job. I'm really proud of him, because the one thing he has been is professional about this," Gentry said. "It's not easy when you're sitting over there and not playing. He feels like he can help our team. It was a good opportunity, so I was going to try to get him in the game somewhere. I just think he deserved to be in there."

Phoenix rookie Markieff Morris hit a 3-pointer to slice the Lakers' lead to 93-83 with 6:47 remaining, less than a minute before Bryant reported back in. Brown cut it to 95-90 on a spectacular slam dunk, grabbing Morris' missed jumper above the rim and slamming it down in one motion with 4:30 to play.

But Derek Fisher responded with a pull-up jumper, and Bryant followed with a pair of short jumpers to give the Lakers a 101-90 lead with 2:42 left. The Suns got no closer than eight the rest of the way.

Three Lakers scored in double digits in the first half, including Barnes, whose 11 points helped them take a 57-48 lead at the break. Gortat had 14 points and nine rebounds in the half.

Notes: Xi capped a four-day visit to the United States. He entered the arena on a red carpet and sat above the official scorer's table and the players' benches. Magic Johnson and David Beckham also stopped by the suite to visit him, and mayor Antonio Villaraigosa presented the Chinese dignitary with a Lakers jersey with his name on the back. ... The Lakers had 20 turnovers. ... The Suns are 8-10 when Nash reaches double digits in assists, and 3-7 when he doesn't. They are 0-3 in the games he's missed. ... The Suns are 0-16 when trailing after three quarters. ... Fisher, sent home from Thursday's practice because of a sinus infection, extended his consecutive games streak to 525 - the longest among active players. It was his 403rd straight start, and he finished with 12 points in 25 minutes after missing his first three shots. ... The teams meet again Tuesday night in Phoenix when the Suns begin a three-game homestand leading up to the All-Star break.

Notebook: Lakers 111, Suns 99

Posted Saturday February 18, 2012 1:58AM

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: At least for a night, the Lakers' offense resembled something from the past. Kobe Bryant scored 18 of his team-high 36 points in the decisive third quarter and Matt Barnes contributed a season-high 17 points off the bench, lifting the league's 23rd best offense to a season-high point total Friday night in a 111-99 victory against the Suns at Staples Center.

QUOTABLE: "If I get comfortable and time out there with minutes, that's the most important thing."
-- Matt Barnes.

THE STAT: The third quarter wasn't just memorable for Bryant's offensive surge. He also grabbed his 6,000th career rebound early on, becoming the ninth guard in NBA history to hit that mark.

TURNING POINT: The Lakers appeared on the verge of putting the Suns away in the second quarter after their reserves sparked an 11-0 run for a 10-point lead. The starters returned to the floor, however, and gave the lead back, then made up for it by finishing the first half on a 9-0 run to retake a nine-point lead. The Suns stayed within striking distance until a 14-0 run in the third quarter put the Suns in the hole for good, 83-63.

HOT: Barnes, who lost his starting small forward job to Metta World Peace last month, made a bid to get it back against the Suns and didn't waste any time in the process. He made all four of his field-goal attempts and scored 11 points in his first eight minutes on the floor. He was the main cog in a bench effort that scored 34 points on 13-for-20 shooting.

NOT: As good as the Suns were distributing the basketball, they were almost as bad giving it away. They committed 15 turnovers in the first half before cleaning things up in the second and finishing with 17. Steve Nash had four of his seven giveaways in the first 4:14 of the game. The Lakers weren't much better early on, committing seven of their 19 turnovers in the opening quarter.

GOOD MOVE: Phoenix guard Shannon Brown, who signed with the Suns shortly before the start of the season after spending the last 2-plus seasons in L.A., earned playing time for just the second time in the last eight games. He took advantage after starter Grant Hill left the game in the third quarter with four fouls, scoring a season-high 15 points the rest of the way. His highlight-reel play was a two-handed dunk off an offensive rebound that cut L.A.'s lead to five midway through the fourth quarter.

BAD MOVE: World Peace didn't help his chances of maintaining his starting role, scoring two points on 1-for-4 shooting in 26 minutes. He missed back-to-back reverse layups on the same possession during the third quarter, even though there was no one defending him on the play. That resulted in a fast break the other way and Jared Dudley scored for the Suns to cut the deficit to six. Fortunately for World Peace, the Lakers followed with their 14-0 run.

NOTABLE: The Suns produced a season-high 32 assists on 41 field goals, including 11 on 11 in the opening quarter. The Lakers assisted on all eight of their first-quarter field goals as well. Phoenix point guard Steve Nash finished with 17 helpers to match his season high ... Lakers forward Pau Gasol finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds for his 19th double-double this season, third best in the league ... Bryant, who scored a season-high 48 points the last time the Suns came to town Jan. 10, came up four points short of his third straight 40-point game against Phoenix.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Sunday @ Phoenix, Monday vs. Portland, Wednesday @ Dallas. For the Suns, Sunday vs. L.A. Lakers, Monday vs. Washington, Wednesday vs. Golden State.

• Suns: --
• Lakers: Ebanks

• Suns: --
• Lakers: Bryant

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 10

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #18 Matt Boland, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 18997
• Duration: 2:23