Lakers 108, Suns 88

Tough to find fault with the Lakers' ninth consecutive victory, a 20-point rout tonight of their closest rivals in the Pacific Division. Kobe Bryant scored 26 points, grabbed seven rebounds and added three assists for the Lakers, who never trailed. Ron Artest had 15 points, five assists and five steals. Pau Gasol added 14 points and Andrew Bynum had 13. The obvious mismatch for the Lakers against the Suns was in the paint, and the Suns tried to make up for it by double-teaming in the low post. The Lakers moved the ball into and out of the post as well as they have all season. As a result, they hit 10 of 21 3-pointers (47.6 percent). Amare Stoudemire led Phoenix with 18 points and eight rebounds. The Lakers held the Suns to a season-low 88 points. They were averaging 110.4 points.