Suns Outhustle Lakers To Even Series

By Justin Worsley

Fifty-four points. Phoenix's bench nearly outscored their starters, by putting in 54 points during the Suns victory over the Los Angeles Lakers 115-106 to even the series in the Western Conference Finals at two games apiece.

Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was nearly non-existent in the first-quarter, missing his only shot. In a wild second-quarter, however, Bryant exploded, scoring 15 of his game-high 38 points including three made shots from beyond the arc. His 38 points along with his 10 assists were simply not enough as Phoenix seemed to outhustle Los Angeles on nearly every play.

Just a day after seeking medical attention to repair a broken nose suffered in Game 3 on Sunday, Steve Nash played, without a facemask, but was not his dominant self. Nash scored 15 points and eight assists/ Amar'e Stoueamire led Phoenix in scoring with 21 points, yet again showing Phoenix that they were smart for not trading him despite rumors that circulated during mid-season.

After the first quarter ended with a 23-23 tie, the Suns dominated in the second half, outscoring the Lakers 41-32 and taking a lead the Lakers would be unable to catch up to until Bryant hit a three-point shot late in the third-quarter to bring in an 81-81 tie.

Channing Frye avoided infamy in the second-quarter when he sank in a three-point shot, his first successful field-goal attempt in 17 tries, avoiding the NBA record of 20 for the post-season. His shot from beyond the arc caused a standing ovatin at the US Airways Center.

Though Los Angeles did have the higher shooting-percentage of the game, they lost both the turnover and rebound battle. Phoenix snagged in 51 rebounds while Los Angeles was only able to grab a pedestrian 36.

Los Angeles will be looking for a fresh start as they head home to host Phoenix in the next two games of the series. Los Angeles missed two opportunities to take command of the series, dropping both games played in Phoenix after starting off the series with a 2-0 lead.

Phoenix, which has been criticized for using a zone defense, had no problem tonight preventing Los Angeles from attacking from inside the paint. One Laker who suffered the most from Suns coach Alvin Gentry's defensive scheme was center Pau Gasol. Gasol ended the game with 15 points and five rebounds, well below his 2010 playoff average of 21.2 points and 11.8 assists per game.

Game 5 will be played Thursday at 9:00 p.m.