Lakers-Suns Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Feb 18 2012 12:55PM

Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry believes he needs someone other than Grant Hill to defend Kobe Bryant in order for his team to contain the league's scoring leader.

Bryant doesn't think it makes any difference who guards him.

Coming off another big performance against the Suns, Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers look to win a fourth straight game and sweep this home-and-home series Sunday night at the US Airways Center.

After finishing with a season-low 10 points on 5-of-18 shooting in Tuesday's 86-78 win over Atlanta - the sixth time in seven games Bryant shot less than 40.0 percent - the 14-time All-Star busted out of his shooting slump Friday against the Suns. He finished with 36 points on 14-of-25 shooting to lead the Lakers (18-12) to a 111-99 victory, their third in a row following a 1-3 stretch.

"Obviously, Kobe went off," said center Andrew Bynum, who finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds. "He had (36) points, and the rest of us were just kind of filling in the gaps."

This wasn't the first time Bryant, who averages 28.9 points, overwhelmed the Suns (12-19). He had a season-best 48 points and went 18 for 31 in a 99-83 victory Jan. 10.

In Friday's matchup, Bryant scored 18 in the third quarter, with most of the damage coming after Hill went to the bench with his fourth foul.

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

Despite Gentry's high praise for the 39-year-old Hill, Bryant thinks Phoenix could have better luck slowing him with double teams.

"Doesn't matter if Grant's in the game or not," Bryant said. "If they're not going to double and I have room to go to work, I'm going to go to work."

Bryant routinely has made things difficult for Hill and the Suns, averaging 31.3 points in the last 24 meetings including the 2010 Western Conference finals. Los Angeles has won 18 of those games.

While Bryant has led the way against Phoenix, the work of Bynum and Pau Gasol on the boards has also been key. Los Angeles, which averages a league-high 45.6 boards per game, outrebounded the Suns 52-36 on Friday and had a 49-35 advantage in the first meeting.

Bynum and Gasol have totaled 55 points and 47 boards in those victories.

The Lakers improved to 13-2 at home Friday, but are just 5-10 on the road - tied for the second-worst road mark of the 17 teams at or above .500.

The Suns, meanwhile, have lost four in a row and have been awful at the US Airways Center. Phoenix's 5-8 home record is the worst among the 25 teams with at least 10 victories.

Marcin Gortat, the only player to start all 31 games for the Suns, is averaging 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds at home compared with 16.7 points and 11.4 boards on the road. He's averaged 20.3 points and 14.7 rebounds in his last three games against the Lakers, all at Staples Center.

Steve Nash matched a season high with 17 assists Friday but also had a season-worst seven turnovers. The two-time league MVP leads the league in assists at 10.9 per game, but Phoenix is just 3-9 when he gets 12 or more.

Dudley, Suns hold off Kobe and Lakers 102-90

By BOB BAUM
Posted Feb 20 2012 12:00AM

PHOENIX (AP) A 27-point deficit was too much to overcome, even for Kobe Bryant, and the outcome left the Los Angeles star annoyed at Lakers management.

Jared Dudley scored a season-high 25 points, Marcin Gortat had 21 points and 15 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns held on to beat the Lakers 102-90 Sunday night, ending a four-game losing streak.

The Lakers, who had won three straight, trailed by 23 at halftime and 27 in the third quarter before cutting it to 10 in the fourth.

Bryant scored 32 points but was 1 of 8 on 3-pointers and committed 10 turnovers, one shy of his career worst.

Afterward, Bryant lashed out at the Lakers' front office over the issue of whether teammate Pau Gasol will be traded. Bryant used a couple of profanities and said it's not fair to Gasol to try to play while wondering where he will be the following day.

Bryant said he doesn't want Gasol to be traded but "if they're going to do something I wish they would just ... do it. If they're not going to do it, come out and say you're not going to do it."

Gasol had 17 points and 12 rebounds and Andrew Bynum added 16 points and 10 boards for the Lakers.

Grant Hill scored 15 points and Steve Nash had 14 assists for the Suns.

The teams were playing for the second consecutive game. The Lakers won in Los Angeles 111-99 on Friday night.

Los Angeles had beaten Phoenix twice at home this season.

Dudley said the idea was to put more pressure on Bryant than the Suns did the previous two games.

"Even though Kobe still had a good game and shot the ball a lot, I want him to shoot the ball like that on the run and not get his teammates involved," Dudley said.

The US Airways Center crowd was revved up for what seemed to be the first time this season.

"There were a lot of Lakers fans, which I think pumps up our fans," Nash said. "We made a bunch of shots and got rollin' so it made for an enjoyable evening."

The loss matched the most one-sided defeat for the Lakers this season. They had never trailed by more than 23.

Bryant, not surprisingly, got the Lakers back within striking distance. The NBA's scoring leader had the last 11 points in a 13-2 run that cut the lead to 80-65 with 51.8 seconds left, including a 16-footer as he was falling down and his first 3-pointer of the night. Phoenix led 82-67 entering the fourth.

With 7:32 to play, Bryant scored inside and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but got the rebound and then found Troy Murphy open in the corner for his second 3-pointer of the quarter to cut the lead to 88-77 with 7:22 to play.

Bryant's two free throws made it 91-81 with 4:21 left, but Dudley sank a 17-footer, then blocked Bryant's shot from behind. Channing Frye made one of two free throws to boost the lead to 94-81, then Dudley's baseline drive put Phoenix up 96-84 with 2:10 to play.

Los Angeles gave up a season-worst 63 first-half points to a Suns team that came in averaging just under 94 points per game. Frye's 3-pointer with 31.9 seconds left gave Phoenix its biggest first-half lead at 63-38. Bryant's 22-footer with 16.2 seconds left made it 63-40 at the break.

"It was simple," Los Angeles coach Mike Brown said. "We didn't come out with the mental focus to compete defensively. To give up 63 points as easily as we did has nothing to do with offense. It's going to be tough to win ballgames when you dig yourself a hole like that."

Phoenix won from the foul line, going 27 of 32 to the Lakers' 17 of 25, and from 3-point range, where the Suns made 7 of 20 to Los Angeles' 3 of 18.

Nash thought the Suns played their best ball of the season in the first half.

"Our cohesion was great," he said. "We made a bunch of shots, so it was a fun half for sure."

There was an abundance of statistical evidence to explain the Suns' big halftime advantage.

Los Angeles was 0 of 6 on 3s in the first half and had zero second-chance points to the Suns' seven. Phoenix made 18 of 19 free throws in the first half to 6 of 9 for the Lakers.

The Suns used an 18-2 run against the turnover-plagued visitors in the first quarter to lead 31-14 on ex-Laker Shannon Brown's layup on a pass from Dudley with 1:51 to play. Gortat had nine points and nine rebounds in the quarter, while Nash had seven assists and four points.

The lead reached 41-22 when rookie Markieff Morris blocked Matt Barnes' shot, then sank a 3 at the other end. Bryant stole the ball from Hill and his layup capped a 6-0 spurt that cut it to 49-35 with 4:21 left in the half. But the Suns responded with a 14-5 run to take their 25-point lead, before Bryant's lone long jumper of the half made it a 23-point game at the break.

The Lakers committed seven turnovers in the period, three by Bryant, to the Suns' two.

Notes: The Lakers' previous high for points allowed in a half was 56, in the first half against Chicago in their Christmas Day opener and in the second half at Minnesota on Jan. 29. ... Nash has had 16, 17 and 14 assists in the last three games. ... The Suns have played 12 games in February, more than any other NBA team. ... Phoenix fell four shy of its season high for points in a half, 67 at Milwaukee on Feb. 7. ... The Lakers' Josh McRoberts drew three fouls in 3 1/2 minutes in the first half. Murphy had three fouls in 7:20.

Notebook: Suns 102, Lakers 90

Posted Sunday February 19, 2012 11:54PM

By Mike Tulumello, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Phoenix Suns hope they've found their missing homecourt advantage.

The Suns, struggling with a 5-8 home record that has helped create sleepy crowds and empty seats, stunned the visiting Los Angeles Lakers 102-90 Sunday night.

The Suns brought the crowd to its feet by playing two styles: They ran the Lakers off the floor in the first half; then ran out the clock after the break.

They led by as many as 27 points while the Lakers never cut the margin below 10 (which they managed three times) in the closing minutes.

Jared Dudley led the Suns with 25 points, while Marcin Gortat had 21 points and 15 boards. Steve Nash had 14 assists.

Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 32 points, but the Suns' swarming defense helped harass him into 10 turnovers.

Bryant seemed less concerned about the turnovers than continuing trade rumors involving teammate Pau Gasol. Bryant said he hopes Gasol stays.

But, he said of his team's management, "One way or another, do something."

QUOTABLE: "Basketball is such an emotional game. You have to have all of yourself invested ... We didn't have that ... It's hard for Pau, because of all the trade talk, to invest himself and immerse himself completely ... One way or another, do something. I'd rather he not be traded. But if you're going to trade him, (expletive) do it."
-- Bryant on continuing trade rumors involving Gasol.

THE STAT: Laker point guards Derek Fisher and Steve Blake had zero points and three assists, combined, in the first half, when the game was decided.

TURNING POINT: The Suns led 11-10 early, then Gortat scored on a layup, Bryant and Gasol were called for traveling, then the Suns were off and running. Their 20-4 spree made it 31-14, and the Lakers never really challenged.

QUOTABLE II: "We desperately needed a solid win at home against a really good team."
-- Suns coach Alvin Gentry

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: The Suns have dusted off Shannon Brown, who had slipped out of the rotation, while Josh Childress played no more than 11 minutes the past three games (and not at all Sunday).

GOOD MOVE: Gentry had the Suns use plenty of double teams on Bryant (with Grant Hill as the lead defender) to get the ball out of his hands.

BAD MOVE: Lakers coach Mike Brown played Bryant 40 minutes, even though the Lakers never really were in the game.

ROOKIE WATCH: Markieff Morris had 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks for the Suns, though he shot just 2-for-11.

NOTABLE: The Suns are starting a stretch in which they play six straight (and 12 of 14) games at home.

UP NEXT: For the Lakers, Monday vs. Portland, Wednesday @ Dallas, Thursday @ Oklahoma City. For the Suns, Monday vs. Washington, Wednesday vs. Golden State, Thursday, March 1 vs. Minnesota.

• Lakers: Ebanks
• Suns: --

• Lakers: --
• Suns: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta, #36 David Jones, #72 J.T. Orr
• Attendance: 18023
• Duration: 2:17