Will Lakers maintain offensive balance as shown in Phoenix loss?

Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe, center, goes to the basket as Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill, left, and forward Ed Davis defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, in Los Angeles. The Suns won 116-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe, center, goes to the basket as Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill, left, and forward Ed Davis defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, in Los Angeles. The Suns won 116-107. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Kobe Bryant could not change the outcome. The Lakers’ defense could not either. A few missed shots late in the game didn’t help either.

Add it all up, and the Lakers’ 116-107 loss on Sunday to the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center sounds as repetitive as their other losses. The result also furthered the Lakers into the Western Conference abyss with a three-game losing streak and a 9-22 record.

But the Lakers offered something against the Phoenix Suns (18-14) that could both play into the “Bryant conservation project” and make the team more likely to collect more wins. The Lakers boasted plenty of offensive balance that gave the team a fighting chance.

Bryant ditched his high-volume shooting mentality as he both navigated Phoenix’s relentless double teams and in his own rust after missing the past three games to rest his 36-year-old body. So though he posted only 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting in 32 minutes, Bryant doled out seven assists and spent a large time running the offense as a point guard. Meanwhile, Nick Young (21 points on 7-of-15 shooting), Jeremy Lin (19 points on 8-of-11 shooting), Wesley Johnson (14 points on 5-of-9 shooting), Ed Davis (11 points on 5-of-6 shooting) and Ronnie Price (10 points on 4-of-7 shooting) all cracked double digits.

“I can force it. But the defenses, come hell or high water, I’m not going to beat,” Bryant said. “It’s as simple as that. I go through three guys and everyone is complaining. I try to make the simple play. Some nights you make shots and some nights we don’t.”

The Lakers showed a mix of both against Phoenix.

Johnson drained consecutive 3-pointers to cut the Suns’ cushion to 106-103 with 3:26 and represented the Lakers’ 12-of-20 mark from 3-point range. But then he missed a shot from beyond the arc that kept the Lakers’ deficit at 110-105 with 38 seconds left.

Young hit a pair of free throws to slice Phoenix’s lead to 106-105 at the 2:20 mark. But he had missed a 15-foot jumper moments earlier before allowing Markieff Morris to nail a seven-foot shot that ensured the Suns with a 110-105 lead with 49 seconds remaining.

Lin nailed a 25-foot three-point to reduce the Suns’ edge to 100-97 with 5:28 remaining. But missed that same shot that could have tied the game as the Lakers trailed 108-105 with 1:40 left.

Bryant’s lone fourth-quarter attempt involved a missed 26-footer as the Lakers trailed 104-97 with 4:41 left. Jordan Hill’s nine points on 3-of-11 shooting featured the Lakers’ forward missing too many point-blank looks at the basket.

“The margin for error is so little for us,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said, “that we have to take advantage of these situations.”

But will such a balanced approach lead the Lakers to take advantage in future games?

“Probably,” Bryant said. “Every game is different. We’ve had games where we move the ball well and ones where we didn’t and won.”

That is true.

The Lakers haven’t won many. But the Lakers wins have included the following developments. Bryant facilitated (Detroit, San Antonio). Bryant and Young put on a show (Atlanta). Wesley Johnson made a key steal and basket (Houston). The Lakers showed team balance (Charlotte). Bryant put together a triple double (Toronto), carried the team (Sacramento) and surpassed Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (Minneapolis). The Lakers all rallied during Bryant’s initial absence (Golden State).

Against Phoenix? Bryant did not attempt a shot until he made a 13-foot jumper with 2:28 left in the first quarter. Despite his seven assists, Bryant also committed five turnovers.

But with Scott adamant about lowering Bryant’s 35.4 minutes per game average either to 32-33, he said Bryant’s facilitating reflected both the game’s design and how Phoenix defended him. Even though Bryant has become the team’s playmaker in previous games with mixed success, his role against the Suns seemed to ignite his teammates.

“Kobe has been my favorite player growing up,” Young said. “To have him talking to me and telling me to come get the ball when he’s out there, that’s all-time confidence.”

Yet, it still wasn’t enough for the Lakers to make enough late-game shots to offset a defense that had no answer for the Suns’ three-guarded monster named Goran Dragic (24 points), Eric Bledsoe (22 points) and Isaiah Thomas (15 points).

“I can definitely build on this,” Lin said. “There’s more that I can still do and there’s more that I can show.”

The same could be said for the Lakers’ offense.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com