PHOENIX — Here’s what Suns coach Alvin Gentry said about the Lakers tonight:

“They, obviously, struggled on the road, but vulnerable in what sense? I don’t know if there’s any team out there playing that can beat them four out of seven games. I don’t know if that’s possible. They’ve got a completely different agenda than what we have. We’re trying to get ourselves into the playoffs. They’re trying to get themselves ready for a championship run. I don’t know if vulnerable is the word I would use.

“They haven’t closed out a few games. Charlotte played great against them. Even the Toronto game, they struggled in that and once again (Bryant) rescued them. At the end of the day, whatever happens in the West is going to go through L.A. I mean, Dallas is playing real good right now and they feel good about themselves. Utah’s playing great and Oklahoma City is playing real good. Denver, I think they have to have K-Mart (Kenyon Martin) back (from an injury) to make a run at them. They’ve played great against them. It’s a good matchup. For some reason, they match up great against the Lakers.

“I still say whatever happens, you’re going to have to win some games in L.A. to get to where you want to go.”