Suns host Lakers

This is the second of four meetings between the Pacific Division rivals. On November 3rd, Shawn Marion scored 30 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, as the Suns held off a late charge to defeat the Lakers, 122-112, at the Staples Center.

The road team has won five of seven and six of the last nine meetings in this series, while Phoenix has captured five straight and six of the last seven contests. The Lakers have lost two straight after winning their last three at Phoenix.

Phoenix tries to make it two wins in a row this evening. On Wednesday, Marion had 30 points and 17 rebounds as the Suns burned the Los Angeles Clippers, 112-102, at the Staples Center.

Leandro Barbosa scored 21 points and reigning MVP Steve Nash contributed 20 points and 18 assists in the win over the Clippers for the Suns, who have won three of four and 10 of their last 13 games overall.

The Suns, who will host the Seattle SuperSonics on Sunday, are 15-6 at home this season. The have won five in a row on their homecourt.

The Lakers closeout a two-game road trip. On Thursday, Mike Bibby scored 40 points and Kenny Thomas posted his first career triple-double, as the Sacramento Kings outlasted the Lakers, 118-109, in an overtime thriller at ARCO Arena.

Kobe Bryant poured in a game-high 51 points and grabbed nine boards, but it was not enough for the Lakers, who had their two-game winning streak halted. Lamar Odom had 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists before fouling out in the loss to Sacramento.

Bryant has scored over 30 points in 10 of his last 11 outings. The seven-time All-Star is averaging 34.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 37 games this season.

The Lakers are 11-10 on the road this season.