Suns Hold Off Lakers 116-107 For 6th Straight Win
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Goran Dragic scored 24 points, Eric Bledsoe had 20 of his 22 after halftime, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-1-7 on Sunday night for their sixth consecutive victory.
Isaiah Thomas added 15 points for the balanced Suns, who haven't lost with their new starting lineup. Phoenix weathered an impressive Los Angeles surge in the final minutes for its seventh win in eight meetings with the Lakers, who lost their third straight despite Kobe Bryant's return.
Bryant had 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes during his first game back from a three-game absence to rest his aching 36-year-old body.
Nick Young hit four 3-pointers and scored 21 points while taking up Kobe's scoring slack again for the Lakers, who got within one point late.
Phoenix finished on a 10-2 run. Before the winning streak, the Suns lost six straight.
Jeremy Lin added 19 points, but the Lakers remained winless since their stunning win over Golden State last Tuesday. Los Angeles played four games in the past six days, with roughly 4,400 miles of travel in between.
Phoenix's fast-break offense took control with a swift 14-3 run early in the third quarter, jumping to a 13-point advantage early in the fourth. Young led a rally that trimmed the lead to 100-97 on Lin's 3-pointer with 5:28 left, and back-to-back 3s by Wesley Johnson kept it close before Young's free throws made it 106-105 with two minutes to play.
But P.J. Tucker made a gritty driving layup and Markieff Morris banked in a long hook shot on consecutive possessions, and the Lakers couldn't respond.
The Lakers have Monday off and travel to Denver to take on the Nuggets on Tuesday.
TIP-INS
Suns: Phoenix is on its first five-game road winning streak since February 2011. ... Thomas had a lengthy halftime conversation with boxing king Floyd Mayweather Jr. at center court. Mayweather is a regular at Lakers and Clippers games. ... The Suns also beat the Lakers at Staples Center on Nov. 4.
Lakers: They lost despite going 12 for 20 on 3-pointers. ... Before the game, Los Angeles claimed center Tarik Black off waivers from Houston and waived injured guard Xavier Henry. Black is expected to be in town Monday for a physical. ... Young's girlfriend, rapper Iggy Azalea, was shown on the Staples Center scoreboard chair-dancing to her own No. 1 hit song, "Fancy," during a timeout in the second half.
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