Clarkson scores 25, Lakers beat Suns 100-93
PHOENIX — Jordan Clarkson scored a season-high 25 points and the Los Angeles Lakers pulled away late to beat the Phoenix Suns 100-93 on Monday night.
Devin Booker had 36 points, his second consecutive game of at least 35, for the Suns.
Brook Lopez and Kentavious Caldwell-pope scored 15 apiece for the Lakers, who snapped a threegame losing streak and won in Phoenix for the second time this season.
Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, coming off his first career triple-double on Saturday night, did not play in the fourth quarter, when the Lakers pulled out the victory. He had seven points on 3-of-10 shooting, five rebounds, five assists and four turnovers in 28 minutes.
Booker scored 22 in the first half en route to his sixth 30-point performance in the last 10 games. T.J. Warren added 21 and Dragan Bender a career-high 15 for the Suns.
The score was tied 81-81 after Bender’s left-handed driving layup with 7:25 to play.
Los Angeles took control from there with a 10-2 run to go up 91-83 on Corey Brewer’s 3-pointer with 5:02 remaining. Phoenix, loser of six of its last seven, never got closer than six after that and Clarkson’s 3 made it 98-88 with 2:43 to go.
Phoenix scored the first nine points of the game and that was the biggest lead for either team through three quarters.
Neither team was up by more than five in the third. The Lakers scored the final six of the quarter, the last two on Clarkson’s reverse layup with 3.6 seconds to go to lead 74-73 entering the fourth.