These days, it’s rare for the Los Angeles Lakers to struggle against the Phoenix Suns.
Friday night in LA was a perfect example. Kobe Bryant was dominating again, scoring 36 points as the Lakers cruised to 111-99 victory. The game felt similar to the Suns first matchup with LA this season, when Kobe scored 48 points in a win.
However, both of those games were at the Staples Center, where the Lakers are 13-2 this season. The Suns added to LA’s road woes with a 102-90 win on Sunday night, snapping a four game losing streak. Jared Dudley scored a season-high 25 points. Phoenix is 3-0 this season when Dudley scores 20 or more.
The Suns have had plenty of good starts this season, only to fall apart as the game progressed. That was not the case last night. Phoenix jumped out to an early 31-14 lead, thanks to a 9-0 run in the first quarter. The Suns did not allow any second-chance points and the Lakers did not hit a shot from beyond the arc in the first half.
Phoenix extended their lead to 27 in the third quarter, but Bryant and the Lakers used a 15-4 run to cut the lead to 82-67 at the end of three quarters. Los Angeles never got within single digits, despite the Suns scoring only 13 fourth quarter points.
The Suns host John Wall and the Washington Wizards tonight at the U.S. Airways Center. Fox Sports Arizona has the coverage starting at 7 PM.
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