Anthony Davis had 25 points and 10 rebounds and Rajon Rondo scored a season-high 23, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 125-100 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns, who played without center Deandre Ayton on Monday night.
LeBron James had 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, but he also committed a game-high eight turnovers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 13 points and Avery Bradley added 12 for the Lakers, who have won four of their last five contests. Dwight Howard contributed 14 points and 15 boards.
Mikal Bridges had 18 points and six rebounds for the Suns, who lost for the sixth time in seven games. Cheick Diallo had 15 points, while Ricky Rubio and Jevon Carter chipped in 13 apiece.
Suns guard Devin Booker struggled, scoring 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting and missing all four of his 3-point attempts. Kelly Oubre Jr. also had an off night with 10 points.
Ayton, who averages 18.7 points and 12 rebounds per game, sat out the contest with a sore left ankle.
A third-quarter surge allowed the Lakers to seize control. They turned a nine-point halftime edge into a 90-75 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Phoenix got no closer than 14 from that point on.
The Lakers used an 18-4 run to open the second quarter for a 49-34 advantage after a jumper by Rondo at 7:22. However, the Suns cut the deficit to single digits on several occasions before the Lakers took a 61-52 lead at the break.
Rondo and Davis each scored 15 points in the first half to lead all scorers.
Los Angeles shot 57.8 percent from the floor to 47.2 percent for Phoenix in the first half. For the game, the Lakers converted 51.6 percent to 42.1 percent for the Suns.
The Lakers, who have captured all three meetings against the Suns and clinched the season series for the third consecutive time, dominated the boards by outrebounding the Suns 59-29, including 16-3 on the offensive glass.
Howard made all six of his field goal attempts.
--Field Level Media
Phoenix | L.A. Lakers | |
Mikal Bridges 18 | Scoring | Anthony Davis 25 |
Devin Booker 5 | Assists | LeBron James 9 |
Mikal Bridges 6 | Rebounds | Dwight Howard 15 |
Ricky Rubio 7 | Free Throws Made | Anthony Davis 7 |
Cameron Johnson 3 | Steals | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 2 |
Mikal Bridges 1 | Blocks | Kyle Kuzma 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Phoenix | 100 | 42.1 | 11-31 | 25-31 | 26 | 29 | 2 | 7 | 13 |
L.A. Lakers | 125 | 51.6 | 14-37 | 17-25 | 28 | 59 | 4 | 8 | 16 |