Bryant scores 45 as Lakers win Game 3

Kwame Brown scored 19 points for the Lakers, who have won four of their last five Game 3s in the postseason, but still trail this best-of-seven 2-1. Lamar Odom posted 18 points and 16 rebounds in the win.

Amare Stoudemire notched 24 points and 10 boards for Phoenix, which has dropped four of its last five Game 3s. Leandro Barbosa scored 20 points off the bench, and Steve Nash had 10 points and 13 assists in the loss.

Game 4 is Sunday afternoon at the Staples Center.

With the score deadlocked at 89, Odom scored on a layup with 1:45 remaining. Bryant next drained a turnaround jumper from the left wing with 57 seconds left, and Brown rejected a Barbosa layup attempt on the ensuing possession. Bryant then converted a pair of free throws with 20.8 seconds on the clock, capping a 6-0 game-ending Lakers run.

Barbosa missed a trio of three-pointers in the closing seconds.