Suns 120, Lakers 101
PHOENIX -- Phoenix guard Brandon Knight recorded his first career triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 15 assists as the Suns broke open a tight game early in the fourth quarter to post a 120-101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers Monday.
Guard Eric Bledsoe continued his hot scoring streak with 21 points, all in the first three quarters, extending his career-long streak of games with 20 or more points to five. Forward T.J. Warren added 19 points off an active bench for the Suns (6-4), who have beaten the Lakers nine straight times in Phoenix and nine of the last 10 overall.
Guard Jordan Clarkson had 20 points for Los Angeles (2-9), who played without the resting Kobe Bryant. Center Roy Hibbert added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Lakers, who are now 0-6 against the Western Conference.
The Suns led by as many as 37 points in a blowout win against the Denver Nuggets Saturday, but had more trouble putting the Lakers away. They finally did it with a 21-8 run early in the fourth quarter, with center Alex Len scoring the last five points, including a three-point play to make it 101-86 Phoenix with 6:43 left.
The Suns had seven players in double figures, and the bench scored 55 points in the game, with 30 of them coming in the final quarter.
Despite getting a combined two points from the young duo of forward Julius Randle (three fouls) and guard D'Angelo Russell (missed all four field-goal attempts), the Lakers kept pace with the Suns in the first half with the help of their veteran players.
Metta World Peace, starting in place of Bryant, had 10 of his 11 first-half points in the first quarter and put the Lakers up 16-11 on his second 3-pointer with 6:36 left. But the Suns ended the first quarter on an 11-2 run with Knight scoring nine, including two free throws with 0.9 of a second left to give Phoenix a 26-22 lead.
Then it was Hibbert, who followed 10 points by guard Lou Williams early in the quarter with back-to-back jumpers to end a 9-0 Phoenix run. Hibbert had eight points and four rebounds in the half.
Bledsoe had nine of his 14 first-half points in the second quarter, including the final seven of the half to give the Suns a 57-53 lead at intermission. They extended the lead to 80-75 after three quarters before taking control in the fourth.
NOTES: Lakers F Metta World Peace made his third start of the season for the resting Kobe Bryant, who played 36 minutes in Sunday's 97-85 win over the Detroit Pistons. Back in the league after more than a year in China and Italy, the 36-year-old World Peace has impressed coach Byron Scott with his play and his leadership. "I've said it from day one, he's been great," Scott said. "He's been great as a leader and keeping the whole group together. And defensively he brings it every night, every minute he's out there." ... Suns F Markieff Morris sat out a second game with a left knee sprain, with Jon Leuer getting a second start. ... Lakers rookie F Larry Nance Jr. played his first game in Phoenix, where his father is a Ring of Honor member and still holds the franchise record for blocked shots with 940. ... When shooting 50 percent or better from the field, the Suns are 40-3 since the start of the 2013-14 season before Monday.