PHOENIX // The Phoenix Suns turned up the heat in the Western Conference finals by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 118-109 in Game Three yesterday. Outgunned in the first two games of the series, the Phoenix defence stepped up while Amare Stoudemire delivered 42 points and 11 rebounds to help the Suns close the gap in the best-of-seven series to 2-1. Point guard Steve Nash put up 17 points and 15 assists, despite sustaining what could be a broken nose, but it was the dogged Phoenix zone defence that did most to snap the Lakers' eight-game playoff winning streak.
"The nose is the least of my concerns," Nash, who collided with Derek Fisher late in the game, told reporters. "We are happy to get ourselves back in a position to tie this thing on Tuesday night." Game Four, which will also be played in Arizona, could have a major bearing whether the widely-anticipated showdown between Los Angeles and the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals takes place. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 36 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds but the visitors made just nine of 32 three-point attempts.
They were outscored 32-25 in the fourth quarter, when they held a brief one-point lead with 8:47 remaining. The Suns quickly responded with an 11-2 spurt and sprinted to the finish line. Center Robin Lopez gave Phoenix an unexpected lift with 20 points and Stoudemire was a steady force down the stretch as he scored 29 of his total in the second half. "(The zone) was the difference in them shooting 58 per cent or 48 per cent (tonight)," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said of his defence, which had shipped 252 points over the first two games. "For the most part all their shots were coming from the outside and we did a good job with rotations."
Pau Gasol had 23 points and nine rebounds, while Fisher scored 18 for the Lakers. * Reuters