By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES — One moment after Steve Nash threw a pass into
the stands in the third quarter, Lamar Odom found Kobe Bryant
with an alley-oop pass for a behind-the-head dunk.
While the travel-weary Phoenix Suns played like a skipping
record, Bryant’s well-rested Lakers were perfectly in tune for
their biggest win of the young season.
Bryant scored 29 points, Andrew Bynum had 26 points and 15
rebounds in his return from injury, and Los Angeles put the
brakes on the Suns’ fast start with a 121-102 victory Thursday
night.
Josh Powell scored 14 points for the defending champions, who
won their sixth straight and improved to 7-1 by handing the Suns
their second loss. Los Angeles snapped the Suns’ four-game
winning streak, countering Phoenix’s up-tempo style with strong
defense and steady scoring from the low post to the transition
game.
It all added up to an impressive performance for the Lakers in
the first of two straight major tests, including Friday night’s
visit to Denver for a rematch of the Western Conference finals.
“We really did a good job focusing ourselves,” Bryant said.
“They do what they do, and we try to stop it. We showed a lot of
control, a lot of maturity. It was a very disciplined game for
us.”
After three days off to rest, Bynum looked sharp in his return
to the Lakers’ starting lineup after a two-game absence with a
strained right elbow. Los Angeles still is without Pau Gasol,
who won’t make the trip to Denver while rehabilitating his
strained hamstring, but the remaining Lakers have been mostly
dominant through eight games.
“I got my legs back, and I’m fresh,” Bynum said. “As far as the
elbow goes, I’m going to continue getting treatment. It hurts a
little bit, but it’s going to be that way for a little while.”
Nash had 13 points and five assists for the Suns, who had their
worst shooting night of the season. The two-time MVP sat out the
final 15 1/2 minutes after getting little help from his
teammates, who were clearly gassed after playing at home on
Wednesday night.
Phoenix’s only two losses this season came against last summer’s
NBA finalists – but Los Angeles was the Suns’ seventh stop in
the past 10 days, and it showed.
“We knew (this game) was a great test for us,” Nash said.
“Unfortunately, we just didn’t have the legs tonight to give
them a good shot, so we can look back and throw this one away.
We didn’t give them any resistance tonight. Back-to-backs
happen, but the seven games in 10 days in seven cities just
caught up with us.”
Amare Stoudemire endured a 2-for-15 shooting night, while Grant
Hill managed just nine points. Jason Richardson missed all five
of his 3-point attempts while scoring only five points for the
NBA’s highest-scoring team, although the reserves had 21 in the
final 5:45 to help Phoenix reach 100 for the 10th time this
season.
Jared Dudley led the Suns with 14 points, but they failed to
match the 1980-81 club’s franchise-best 9-1 start. The Suns made
just 36.5 percent of their shots (38 for 104) after never going
lower than 45.5 percent this season.
“They have a really good team, and now with Bynum back, it’s
just tough matchups all around,” Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry
said. “They just took us out of everything we tried to do. We
miss a dunk, and they come back with a three-point play. We miss
an open shot, and then they come down with a 3-point shot.
They’re a great basketball team. I don’t know if they have a
weakness, after looking around.”
In the first half, Los Angeles frequently played at something
approaching the Suns’ favored breakneck tempo. The Lakers were
better at it than Phoenix – but they also were better at slowing
it down and getting the ball inside to Bynum and Bryant, who has
excelled as a low-post scorer this season.
After Bryant’s 12 first-quarter points put the Lakers ahead
early, Los Angeles scored the final eight points of the first
half to take a 59-45 lead. Phoenix had just five assists on its
17 first-half field goals – nine fewer baskets than the Lakers.
After Odom’s alley-oop to Bryant put the Lakers up 80-55 in the
third, Shannon Brown punctuated the win with consecutive
high-flying dunks in the lane midway through the fourth quarter,
putting Los Angeles up by 26.
NOTES: Lakers coach Phil Jackson earned his 1,048th victory,
tying Charlotte’s Larry Brown for fifth-most in NBA history. …
Gentry and Jackson both expressed surprise at New Orleans coach
Byron Scott’s firing earlier in the day. Los Angeles and the
Suns both routed the Hornets in the past week, but both coaches
thought Scott had earned more time to figure out his club’s
rotation. … Richardson and Los Angeles’ Sasha Vujacic got
offsetting technical fouls 4.3 seconds before halftime for a
confrontation after Richardson’s hard foul on Bryant. … The
Rev. Jesse Jackson, Zac Efron, Heather Locklear, George Lopez
and Eliza Dushku were among the courtside celebrities.
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