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Kobe, Lakers remain hot, torch Suns

Bryant scores 26 of his 38 points in second half

Image: LakersReuters
Kobe Bryant and hte Lakers celebrate after Trevor Ariza (not shown) dunks against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

Jackson said after that game that he was just getting a mandatory timeout out of the way.

“It’s not a big deal,” D’Antoni said before this game, citing his team’s poor play as the main reason for his short fuse.

“That’s the whole crux of it,” D’Antoni said before adding: “I can live without being in his good graces. I’m sure he can live with not being in mine.”

The Suns, who have lost five of eight, eliminated the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs the past two years.

Bryant, who became the youngest player ever to reach 20,000 points Sunday in New York, moved past Tom Chambers into 30th place on the career list with his 31st point of the game, which came on a corkscrew jumper that gave the Lakers a 102-95 lead.

Neither team led by more than seven points until Bryant made a jumper and two free throws, giving the Lakers a 110-100 lead with 4:21 remaining. The Suns didn’t pose a serious threat after that.

Neither team led by more than five points during the third quarter, which ended with the Lakers on top 92-89. Bryant scored 15 points in the period, capping his effort by making a 3-pointer with 33.3 seconds to play and a reverse dunk with 3.4 seconds left.

“Just couldn’t stop them,” D’Antoni said. “Bynum killed us, (and) Kobe. They were good.”

Notes: The Lakers played on Christmas Day for the ninth straight year and the 34th time in franchise history dating to 1949. They’re 19-15 overall after snapping a five-game losing streak in such games. ... The Suns played on Christmas Day for the 16th time, but just the first since losing to the Lakers 108-87 in 1996. ... All five starters for each team scored in double figures. The Lakers are 5-0 this season when their starters all score 10 or more points. ... The Suns have beaten the Lakers in 13 of the last 17 regular-season games between the teams. ... Lakers C Kwame Brown missed his 19th straight game because of injuries to his left ankle and knee, and teammate Luke Walton sat out his second in a row because of a sprained right ankle. ... Hill, hampered by injuries his entire career, started his 27th straight game to open the season. It’s his longest streak to open a season since he started the first 39 games for the Detroit Pistons eight years ago.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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