LOS ANGELES — The Suns had survived Kobe Bryant’s deluge of scoring and their starting wings’ inability to score.
Photos from the game | Box score
A Channing Frye 3-pointer had the Suns within one point of the Los Angeles Lakers with 6:14 to go in the game Tuesday night at Staples Center. It was closing time and Bryant shut it down, scoring eight points on a 10-0 Lakers run that sent Los Angeles to a 99-83 victory at Staples Center.
Bryant, playing with a torn right wrist ligament, scored 48 points on 18-of-31 shooting for his eighth career 40-point game against the Suns. Suns small forward Grant Hill had been on a six-game run of stopping opponents’ top scorers but Bryant got hot against Suns teammates and never cooled after the return of Hill, who dragged at the other end for 1-for-12 shooting.
The Suns (4-5) did not make a field goal in the game’s final six minutes, relying almost exclusively on perimeter shots to try to keep up with Bryant. Meanwhile, Bryant scored the easy way with two free throws, an inside basket and two slams during the decisive 10-0 Lakers run that put Los Angeles (7-4) ahead 93-82 with three minutes to go.
“Not bad for an old fellow,” Bryant said on the in-arena, walk-off interview.
It was a lot to ask of an old fellow, 39-year-old Hill, to handle 33 minutes of duty on Bryant four weeks after resuming basketball following rehabilitation from September knee surgery. At times, Bryant, hit tough fadeaways and stepbacks. Late in the game, Bryant beat Hill without the sort of help the Suns defense had been exhibiting.
“He was certainly aggressive and he hit some tough ones,” Hill said. “We’ll look at it and hopefully get a little better collectively.”
Bryant scored 17 points in the first quarter but only four came against Hill in the quarter’s first eight minutes. Bryant scored 13 of the Lakers’ 15-0 quarter-ending run against Jared Dudley, Steve Nash and Shannon Brown. Bryant, who purports to still hate the Suns, scored 16 points, 12 against Hill, in the game’s final eight minutes.
“He’s the best player in the world,” Suns guard Nash said. “You come to expect that type of performance from him.”
The Suns shot 42.5 percent, led by Channing Frye’s 17 points and Marcin Gortat’s 16 points and 12 rebounds. But they were shooting 47.9 percent before missing their final nine shots of the game.
“We have to find plays that work and we have to find guys who are going to make plays for us,” said Frye, who is 13 of 16 from the field in the past two games after going 13 for 48 in the first seven games. “We just didn’t make shots that we usually should make.”
The Suns got off to a hot start for the third consecutive game, taking a 19-10 lead in the first eight minutes off a string of three consecutive Frye jumpers, including two 3-pointers. After a time out, the Lakers ended the first quarter with 15 unanswered points.
Those all came on first shots but the Suns continued to have defensive rebounding issues, giving up 14 offensive rebounds. That might be understandable if it was only Lakers big men Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum but rarely used small forward Luke Walton outhustled Phoenix for five of the offensive rebounds. The Lakers scored 18 of their points on second chances.
Without Bryant, the Lakers struggled to score at times and let the Suns put on their own 11-0, reserve-fueled rally while he was out in the second quarter. Bryant accounted for half of the Lakers’ first-half points for a 46-42 lead.
The Suns briefly took the lead, 56-55, with 7:36 to go in the third quarter on a Gortat jumper off Nash’s behind-the-back pass but they would never lead again. The string of nine consecutive misses to end the game included three Hill misses and five missed 3s with Gasol switching well onto Nash to deny the Suns’ rolls off screens.
“I’m just tired a little bit out there,” Hill said. “I still have a ways to go to get my conditioning. No excuses. I got good looks. I just have to make them. I didn’t run until three days before camp so I’m still getting my legs. Obviously, it didn’t help having to chase him around but I’ve done it before and been able to be more effective on the offensive end.”
The Lakers were missing Troy Murphy (stomach pain), Jason Kapono (birth of twins) and Josh McRoberts (toe sprain) but still got good bench performances with 15 rebounds from Walton and Metta World Peace combined and eight assists by Steve Blake.
The Lakers won at home for a seventh consecutive time.
“We needed to finish up,” Gentry said. “We need to play and play well the entire 48 minutes. We fought and battled but we have to continue to work to get better. We’re still a work in progress but I thought we played hard.”
View from press row
Kobe Bryant said he was not looking forward to playing against his former backup, Shannon Brown, a “little brother” to him. Brown should have been the one dreading it. It began well with a Staples Center video board thank you to Brown, but he missed his first four shots, including three during a 15-0 Lakers run. Brown came back strong in the fourth quarter, carrying the offense while Steve Nash was out.
Report
Key player
Kobe Bryant carried the Lakers’ offense, scoring 23 first-half points.
Key moment
After the Suns stormed to a 19-10 lead, they ended the first quarter by surrendering 15 consecutive points.
Key number
8 Consecutive shots Grant Hill missed before a late third-quarter fast-break layup.
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