Suns try to eliminate Kobe, Lakers

Phoenix leads this best-of-seven series 3-1. If necessary, Game 6 is scheduled for Friday at the Staples Center.

On Sunday, reigning MVP Steve Nash scored 17 points and dished out a career- high 23 assists to lead the second-seeded Suns over the seventh-seeded Lakers, 113-100, in Game 4 at the Staples Center.

Amare Stoudemire had a team-high 27 points and grabbed 21 rebounds for the Suns, while Shawn Marion added 22 points and 11 boards in the victory for Phoenix.

Superstar Kobe Bryant had 31 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Los Angeles, which won Game 3 after dropping the first two games on the road. Lamar Odom added 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who never led in the second half of Game 4, falling behind by as many as 20 points.

Phoenix has won two of its last three Game 5s in the postseason. The Suns have won five of their last six contests when they have the chance to eliminate their opponent from the playoffs.

The Lakers have lost three straight Game 5s. They have dropped three straight games when facing elimination.

There is a lot of playoff history between the Lakers and Suns, as these teams have met 10 times in the postseason. The Lakers have won seven of the 10 series, while the clubs have split four meetings in first round.

The Lakers knocked out the Suns in the opening round of the playoffs in 1970 and 1985, while Phoenix eliminated LA in 1993 and 2006. The Lakers won semifinal series over the Suns in 1980, 1982 and 2000 and conference final sets in 1984 and 1989.

Besides their first round wins over LA in 1993 and 2006, the Suns also picked up a playoff series win over the Lakers in the 1990 conference semifinals.

Last season, the Lakers blew a 3-1 lead in the first round against Phoenix. They fell in seven contests and were eliminated in the opening round for the first time since 1996, when they lost in four games, 3-1, to the Houston Rockets.

The Suns, who won their third straight Pacific Division title during the regular season, have been eliminated in the Western Conference finals two consecutive years. Phoenix lost in six games to the San Antonio Spurs in 2005, and fell in six last year to the Dallas Mavericks.

The last time the Suns were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs was in 2002-03, when they lost to San Antonio in six games, 4-2.

Bryant has made his second trip to the postseason without All-Star center Shaquille O’Neal, who was traded to Miami in July 2004, by his side. A nine- time All-Star, Bryant is still trying to prove that he can carry a team solo in the postseason.

The 28-year-old Bryant won three championships with O’Neal and head coach Phil Jackson (1999, 2000, 2001). Jackson has won nine championship rings as a coach. He led the Lakers to three titles in his first four years in LA, and guided the Chicago Bulls to six championships.