Kobe Leads Lakers With 20 Points In 114-108 Loss To Suns
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Goran Dragic scored 31 points and the Phoenix Suns beat the Lakers 114-108 Tuesday night, keeping Los Angeles winless with Kobe Bryant back in the lineup.
Bryant led the Lakers with 20 points while playing 29 mostly sharp minutes in his second game back from a nearly eight-month absence with a torn Achilles tendon. He led a fourth-quarter rally by the Lakers, who got within four points with 3 minutes left before Phoenix held on for its first three-game winning streak of the season.
Marcus Morris scored 22 points and Eric Bledsoe had 18 points and nine assists for the surprising Suns, who never trailed after the opening minutes. Phoenix held off the Lakers with superb fourth-quarter play from both Morris brothers. Markieff Morris added 15 points.
Phoenix hadn't beaten the Lakers at Staples Center since November 2010.
Bryant made just three turnovers against Phoenix after committing eight in his season debut two days ago, but had just two rebounds and three assists.
Pau Gasol scored 19 points while Jodie Meeks, Nick Young and Jordan Hill added 13 apiece for the Lakers, who have lost three of four to fall back below .500. Los Angeles' NBA-best bench contributed 43 points while using just four reserves, but Phoenix dominated the boards, outrebounding the Lakers 43-33.
Dragic hit two 3-pointers and didn't miss any of his 11 free throws, finishing one point shy of his career high in his latest outstanding performance against the Lakers. Phoenix's small, active lineup led by Dragic and Bledsoe was too much for the bigger, slower Lakers in the final minutes.
The game was another bump in a long road for Bryant, who had nine points in a rocky season debut on Sunday night. He was unable to rally the Lakers late in a loss to trade-depleted Toronto, and he gave his performance an "F" after the game, but upgraded the score to a "D" on Monday.
Bryant felt fresher than expected after his first game since April. Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni doesn't want to play Bryant more than 30 minutes per game early on, hoping to keep him healthy during the team's stretch of four road games in five nights starting later this week.
Bryant started off his night against Phoenix with his first dunk of the season off a two-footed leap in the first quarter. Bryant still emphasized playmaking over shooting, but played a more polished floor game in the first half with 10 points, just one turnover and two assists, including the pass for Gasol's buzzer-beating jumper.
But Phoenix jumped to an early lead with a prolific display of perimeter shooting and fast-break opportunism. Dragic was outstanding, hitting three 3-pointers among his 15 first-half points, and Marcus Morris led a second-quarter rally to put the Suns up by 12 points.
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