(Field Level Media) Kyle Kuzma had 23 points and eight rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Lakers past the visiting Phoenix Suns 120-96 yesterday.
LeBron James had 22 points, six rebounds and eight assists; Brandon Ingram had 15 points; and Michael Beasley scored a season-high 14 off the bench for the Lakers, who have won three in a row and climbed a season-high five games above .500.
JaVale McGee also scored 14 for Los Angeles.
Richaun Holmes scored a season-high 15 points off the bench, Trevor Ariza and Josh Jackson scored 13 apiece, and Deandre Ayton finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who have lost five in a row.
Phoenix leading scorer Devin Booker, who came in 12th in the league in scoring (24.5 ppg), left late in the first half after straining his hamstring while chasing down a loose ball. Booker missed three games at the end of October with a hamstring injury and sat out a 99-85 loss to the visiting Orlando Magic on Friday night because of a sore foot.
The Lakers turned the game around by outscoring the Suns 40-15 in the second quarter.
Phoenix got off to a strong start with Booker on the floor, surging to a 25-8 lead with 5:27 left in the first quarter. The Suns still maintained a 10-point advantage entering the second quarter, but Los Angeles scored the first 10 points and tied the score at 31-31 on a 3-pointer by Ingram 2:15 into the period. The Lakers used another 9-0 run later in the quarter to take the lead for good, 48-40, with 3:54 left in the first half.
Mikal Bridges ended that run with a 3-pointer, but Los Angeles would score the next five points to take its first double-digit lead at 53-43. During that run, Booker left with the hamstring injury.
The Lakers closed the first half by scoring the final eight points, capped by a 3-pointer by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with 0.7 seconds left, giving them their biggest lead at 61-46.
Phoenix could only pull as close as nine with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter. Kuzma scored five points in an 8-0 surge late in the quarter to move Los Angeles ahead 92-69.
