Skip to main content

Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe goes to the basket as Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill and forward Ed Davis defendMark J. Terrill/The Associated Press

When the Phoenix Suns deploy their three playmaking guards simultaneously, even Kobe Bryant gets a bit overwhelmed.

"They've got one on the left, one on the right and one in the middle," Bryant said. "You can't cover them all."

With Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe and Isaiah Thomas on the floor together in the final minutes, the Suns had more than enough options to keep their winning streak rolling.

Dragic scored 24 points, Bledsoe had 20 of his 22 after halftime, and Phoenix beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-107 on Sunday night for its sixth consecutive victory.

Thomas added 15 points for the balanced Suns, who weathered an impressive Los Angeles surge in the final minutes of their seventh win in eight meetings with the Lakers, who lost their third straight despite Bryant's return.

Phoenix's 13-point lead dwindled to one, but the Suns finished on a 10-2 run.

"Everybody makes runs in the NBA," Bledsoe said. "We just kept our composure, hit some shots and made our free throws."

The Suns lost six straight before their winning streak, but coach Jeff Hornacek's rotation has been working particularly well.

"We just had to push the pace and keep up on Kobe," said Markieff Morris, who had 12 points and seven rebounds. "We can score with anybody in this league, but we win when we play some defence."

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.

"My legs felt a lot better," said Bryant, whose 10 shots were less than half his season average. "Just working myself back into form, but I felt fine."

Nick Young hit four 3-pointers and scored 21 points while taking up Kobe's scoring slack again for the Lakers. Jeremy Lin added 19 points.

Phoenix used its fast-break offence to grab control with a 14-3 run early in the third quarter, and then increased its lead to 13 early in the fourth. Young led a rally that included back-to-back 3s by Wesley Johnson to keep it close, and Young's free throws made it 106-105 with two minutes to play.

But P.J. Tucker made a gritty driving layup and Morris banked in a long hook shot on consecutive possessions, and the Lakers couldn't respond.

"We couldn't get a stop, and when we got a stop, they got an offensive rebound," Lakers coach Byron Scott said. "I think that's the most disheartening thing. We were right there again. Played hard, but the last couple of minutes is where we seem to lose it."

SPURS 110, ROCKETS 106

SAN ANTONIO – Danny Green had 24 points and the injury-depleted San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 110-106 on Sunday night, snapping a six-game skid against their intrastate rivals.

Tim Duncan scored 16 points and Manu Ginobili had 15 for San Antonio (19-13), which won for first time in three games.

James Harden had 28 points for Houston (21-8), and Dwight Howard added 24 points and 17 rebounds. The Rockets' newest additions had differing levels of success: Corey Brewer scored 25 points, but Josh Smith finished with five points on 2-of-7 shooting.

Green made four straight free throws in the final minute, helping San Antonio avoid going into overtime for the fourth time in its last six home games.

The Spurs played without Kawhi Leonard (bruised right hand) and Tony Parker (mild strain left hamstring).

MAVERICKS 112, THUNDER 107

DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki matched his season high with 30 points for Dallas, and Chandler Parsons added 26.

The Mavericks rallied from seven points down to start the fourth quarter. They were without centre Tyson Chandler, a late scratch with back spasms.

The Thunder played their sixth straight game without Kevin Durant because of a sprained right ankle. They fell short in their third chance to reach .500 for the first time after Durant and Russell Westbrook were sidelined by injuries for 14 of the first 16 games.

Serge Ibaka led Oklahoma City with a season-high 26 points.

TRAIL BLAZERS 101, KNICKS 79

PORTLAND – Wesley Matthews had 28 points, including six 3-pointers, and the Trail Blazers beat the short-handed Knicks.

Portland was 16 for 36 from 3-point range. Nicolas Batum had five 3-pointers and 17 points.

It was the eighth straight loss for the Knicks, who had just nine available players to start the game, and then lost Carmelo Anthony for the second half because of a sore left knee.

Portland, which led by as many as 27 points, has won eight of its last nine games.

Cole Aldrich had 12 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for New York, and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 17 points.

PISTONS 103, CAVALIERS 80

CLEVELAND – Brandon Jennings scored 25 points, and the Pistons used an 18-0 run in the second quarter to roll past the Cavaliers.

It was Cleveland's second blowout loss at home in less than two weeks. The Cavaliers lost 127-98 to Atlanta on Dec. 17, and the convincing victory for Detroit drew boos from the home crowd.

Andre Drummond had 16 points and 17 rebounds for the Pistons (7-23), who were coming off a 119-109 victory over Indiana on Friday.

Detroit also set a franchise record for made 3-pointers by going 17 for 31 from long range.

Kevin Love had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Cleveland, and LeBron James finished with 17 points, 10 boards and seven assists.

Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving missed his second straight game because of a bruised left knee.

Interact with The Globe