Lakers 97, Suns 77
LOS ANGELES -- Guard Lou Williams scored 30 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers extended the Phoenix Suns' losing streak to nine games with a 97-77 victory Sunday night at Staples Center.
Williams connected on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor and six of seven 3-pointers as the Lakers (8-27) captured three games in a row for the first time since Feb. 2015.
Forward Larry Nance Jr. added 15 points and 14 rebounds, center Roy Hibbert had 13 points and six rebounds and guard Jordan Clarkson finished with 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds for Los Angeles, which snapped a five-game skid to the Suns.
Guard Brandon Knight had 25 points and nine assists for Phoenix (12-25), which played its fifth game without injured guard Eric Bledsoe, who is out for the season with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Suns forward Mirza Teletovic contributed 16 points and eight rebounds.
Forward Kobe Bryant sat out his second consecutive game with a sore right shoulder, but it mattered little as the Lakers' starters took up the slack. They also helped produce only the third double-digit win this season by the Lakers.
The Suns' best burst occurred with a 21-5 run to open the fourth quarter, allowing them to cut the gap to 86-72. However, Phoenix, coming off a 142-119 beatdown by the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, failed to get any closer.
The Lakers, who led by as many as 38, never trailed. They bolted to a 25-10 lead after one quarter and increased it to 43-22 at the break, capped by a turnaround 3-pointer by Williams just before the horn. It wasn't a case of the Lakers defense overwhelming the Suns. Phoenix missed layups and shots inside the paint, committed turnovers and failed to cleanly catch passes on several possessions.
The Suns allowed the Lakers to record season highs in points allowed in the first and second quarters (12) and the half. They also held Phoenix to a pathetic 19.6 shooting performance in the first half. Los Angeles managed 39 percent.
Overall, the Lakers shot 45.2 percent to 36 percent for the Suns.
NOTES: The situation with disgruntled F Markieff Morris remains a distraction for Phoenix. "All year long it's been a case of him playing up to his abilities and helping us and hurting us," Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. "We're all trying to figure out the equation the best we can." Morris, who did not play the previous two games, was suspended for two games in late December for throwing a towel at Hornacek. He has played once since then, managing four points and three rebounds in 20 minutes in a 112-79 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 30. Morris has clashed with Hornacek and Suns' management since the club traded his twin brother Marcus to the Detroit Pistons last summer. ... The Lakers play the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center on Tuesday, while the Suns host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.