Suns’ Bell suspended for Game 6

The Suns avoided elimination on Wednesday with a 114-97 victory at U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix. The Lakers lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 with Game 6 on Thursday in Los Angeles.

The two players had already been called for a double-technical in the second quarter of Game 5 before Bell horse-collared Bryant as he was driving past him with 7:33 left in the contest. Bell was immediately assessed a flagrant two foul and tossed.

"It was a bad play," Bell said after the game. "I kind of lost my head there for a second. I don’t know what to expect. "It’s been a pretty physical series. At that point I caught an elbow in my jaw and overreacted a little bit. I can’t really blame anybody. It was the heat of the moment and I could have cost my team."

It has been toughly contested series as the teams have combined for 11 technical fouls and a few on-court altercations. Bryant and Steve Nash were shouting at one another in Game 2 and Kwame Brown elbowed Boris Diaw to the ground in Game 3, leading to a verbal confrontation between several players and coaches.