Suns 95, Lakers 90
LOS ANGELES -- Brandon Knight scored 22 points and rookie guard Devin Booker added 21 points, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 95-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center.
Tyson Chandler collected 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Suns (19-50), who bounced back from a 103-69 drudging Thursday by the Utah Jazz. P.J. Tucker chipped in 13 points.
Lou Williams scored a game-high 30 points before fouling out with 7.7 seconds left in the contest to lead the Lakers (14-55), who have lost nine of the last 11 contests to the Suns. Ryan Kelly was the only other Laker to reach double figures in scoring with 10.
Kobe Bryant missed his second straight game with a sore right shoulder. It was the 16th contest Bryant has sat out this season.
Phoenix held a double-digit advantage for much of the contest before Los Angeles rallied in the fourth quarter.
A put-back by Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. and a dunk by Brandon Bass closed the gap to 84-80 with 4:43 remaining. A 3-point jumper by Williams pulled Los Angeles within 84-83 with 3:51 left.
Knight's 3-pointer gave Phoenix a four-point cushion, but Bass hit a jumper to get the Lakers within two.
Williams sliced the lead to 89-88 with another 3-pointer at 1:39. Kelly missed two foul shots with 1:18 left that would have given the Lakers the lead. Kelly also was called for offensive goaltending with 49 seconds remaining.
Another jumper by Knight pushed the lead to 91-88 with 30 seconds remaining.
Knight and Booker clinched the win with each hitting a pair of free throws in the final 15 seconds.
The Suns led 47-32 at the break, outscoring the Lakers 21-10 in the second period. Though they managed just 41.9 percent shooting in the first half, the Suns limited the Lakers to 27.3 percent. The Lakers also misfired on 10 of their 12 3-point attempts, while the Suns made five of 15 before intermission.
Overall, both teams shot 36 percent from the floor.
In the third, Phoenix increased the margin to as much as 19 before taking a 68-54 lead heading into the final quarter.
NOTES: Suns G Devin Booker averaged 21.8 points per game in March, which led all rookies, heading into Friday's game. Booker's four 30-point performances were also tops among first-year players. ... With F Alan Williams making his debut March 17 against the Utah Jazz, the Suns have had 23 different players play this season, matching a franchise record. ... Suns interim coach Earl Watson called Lakers rookie PG D'Angelo Russell a "unique talent. He reminds me a lot of (Dallas G Deron Williams) his rookie year, where guys thought he maybe wasn't quick enough, athletic enough, but then all of a sudden it just clicked." ... Phoenix hosts the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. The Grizzlies visit the Lakers on Tuesday.