Lakers Gameday | 12/25/07 | Lakers 122, Suns 115

Kobe Bryant asked to be traded last spring in part because he wanted to play for a team that could contend for a championship. He just might have gotten his wish by staying put.

Bryant scored 26 of his 38 points in the second half, Andrew Bynum had a career-high 28 points to go with 12 rebounds and a season-high four assists, and the Lakers beat the Phoenix Suns 122-115 on Tuesday for their ninth win in 11 games.

The victory lifted the Lakers (18-10) to a season-high eight games over .500 and within one game of the Pacific Division-leading Suns (19-9), who lost for the fifth time in eight games.

Bryant, who complained about a lack of talent around him, has gotten plenty of help recently, especially from the 20-year-old Bynum, who shot 11-of-13 in outplaying Phoenix center Amare Stoudemire.

Bynum left to a roar of approval from the Staples Center crowd of 18,997 and a hand-slap from Bryant with 11.5 seconds to play.

Derek Fisher added 19 points, Lamar Odom had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Trevor Ariza scored 14 points in his first start since being acquired from Orlando last month.

Steve Nash led the Suns with 24 points and 14 assists. Six of his teammates scored in double figures including Stoudemire, who had 19 points but only six rebounds, Shawn Marion, who had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Raja Bell, who also scored 15, and Grant Hill, who added 14.

The game was the first between the teams since the Lakers stunned the Suns 119-98 in Phoenix on Nov. 2. Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson angered Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni when he called a timeout right after the Suns called one, with 4:55 to play and the outcome already decided.

Jackson said after that game that he was just getting a mandatory timeout out of the way.

"It's not a big deal," D'Antoni said before this game, citing his team's poor play as the main reason for his short fuse.

"That's the whole crux of it," D'Antoni said before adding: "I can live without being in his good graces. I'm sure he can live with not being in mine."

The Suns eliminated the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs the past two years.

Bryant, who became the youngest player ever to reach 20,000 career points Sunday in New York, moved past Tom Chambers into 30th place on the career list with his 31st point of this game, which came on a corkscrew jumper that gave the Lakers a 102-95 lead.

Neither team led by more than seven points until Bryant made a jumper and two free throws, giving the Lakers a 110-100 lead with 4:21 remaining. The Suns didn't pose a serious threat after that.

Neither team led by more than five points during the third quarter, which ended with the Lakers on top 92-89. Bryant scored 15 points in the period, capping his effort by making a 3-pointer with 33.3 seconds to play and a reverse dunk with 3.4 seconds left.

With Bryant on the bench, Bynum scored five points during a 9-0 run that gave the Lakers a 37-30 lead. Fisher scored 13 points in a 4½-minute span late in the second quarter to help the Lakers stay on top, but eight points by Nash in the final 1:41 of the period enabled the Suns to tie the game 62-all at halftime.

Game notes
The Lakers played on Christmas Day for the ninth straight year and the 34th time in franchise history dating to 1949. They're 19-15 overall after snapping a five-game losing streak in such games. ... The Suns played on Christmas Day for the 16th time, but just the first since losing to the Lakers 108-87 in 1996. ... All five starters for each team scored in double figures. The Lakers are 5-0 this season when their starters all score 10 or more points. ... The Suns have beaten the Lakers in 13 of the last 17 regular-season games between the teams. ... Lakers C Kwame Brown missed his 19th straight game because of injuries to his left ankle and knee, and teammate Luke Walton sat out his second in a row because of a sprained right ankle. ... Hill, hampered by injuries his entire career, started his 27th straight game to open the season. It's his longest streak to open a season since he started the first 39 games for the Detroit Pistons eight years ago.

Behind two-time league MVP Steve Nash, the Phoenix Suns have been one of the best and most entertaining teams in the league over the last few seasons. But they haven't played on Christmas in 11 years.

Kobe Bryant, the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points, has been the face of the Los Angeles Lakers for the past decade, and this will be their ninth straight Christmas game. The problem is, the Lakers haven't had any recent success in those contests.

Nash and the Pacific Division-leading Suns look to avenge their most lopsided loss of the season and hand Bryant and Los Angeles their sixth straight Christmas loss when they meet on Tuesday at Staples Center.

Three-time defending Pacific champion Phoenix (19-8) has the league's third-best record since Nash arrived as a free agent before the start of 2004-05, and is once again atop the division, two games ahead of the second-place Lakers (17-10).

While Nash and the Suns have gained in popularity due to their high-scoring style, they have not played on Christmas since losing to the Lakers 108-87 in 1996.

Los Angeles, meanwhile, has played on Christmas every year since 1999, but has lost five straight since beating Philadelphia 88-82 in 2001

The Suns and Lakers have not met since Los Angeles won 119-98 in Phoenix's home opener on Nov. 2. The Lakers led by as many as 33 points, while outrebounding the Suns 54-34 and shooting 56.5 percent from the floor.

"It is going to be tough, they have a lot of length and size which is going to be tough for us if we don't play well," said Nash, who had a season-low three assists in last month's loss. "But if we're active and hustle defensively and move the ball it is going to give us the chance to win on the road. It's a big game, they're playing well and fired up to play at home on Christmas day."

Despite its November loss, Phoenix has still won 10 of its last 13 regular-season games over the Lakers, and has not lost consecutive games to them since Nash re-joined the Suns. Los Angeles has been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Phoenix in each of the two previous seasons.

Nash had his typical solid game with seven points, 16 assists and no turnovers in Saturday's 122-103 win over Toronto. Leandro Barbosa made seven 3-pointers and led the way with 31 points, as he started in place of the injured Raja Bell, who may also miss this game.

Barbosa is averaging 25.7 points and shooting 54.3 percent (25-of-46) from beyond the 3-point arc in his six starts this season, with the Suns winning all of them.

"That's our game,'' said Amare Stoudemire, who had 28 points and 11 rebounds. "We've got players that can score easily. We showed a great supply of getting guys involved.''

The Lakers beat New York 95-90 on Sunday, and have won eight of their last 10.

Bryant scored 39 points against the Knicks to surpass the 20,000-point plateau. His 3-pointer in the opening minute of the third quarter allowed him to reach the milestone at 29 years, 122 days.

The Lakers star also had eight assists and matched a season high with 11 rebounds - his first 11-rebound game since he faced the Suns in November. The nine-time All-Star finished with 16 points in that win, and has been phenomenal in his last three home games against the Suns, averaging 38.7 points.

Bryant is averaging 30.0 points and 7.0 rebounds during Los Angeles' three-game home winning streak. The Lakers have won eight of their last 10 at Staples Center.