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Suns rout Lakers

Dec 24, 2013 - 6:48 AM Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Gerald Green scored 22 points on 6-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc as the Phoenix Suns dismantled the Los Angeles Lakers, 117-90, from US Airways Center.

Miles Plumlee had a monster outing with 17 points and a career-high 20 rebounds for Phoenix, which has won three straight both overall and against Los Angeles.

Marcus Morris contributed 19 points off the bench, while the backcourt of Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic scored 16 and 12, respectively, with Bledsoe adding a season-high 11 rebounds. Both players also had seven assists.

Nick Young paced LA with 19 points off the bench and Jodie Meeks scored 18 in the Lakers' second straight loss.

When speaking of Plumlee, Phoenix head coach Jeff Hornacek said, "He's long, he's athletic, and he protects the rim for us. Teams worry about him when they drive the ball to the basket because they know he can get his hands on balls."

Pau Gasol tallied 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in his return to the starting lineup after missing Saturday's 102-83 loss to Golden State with an upper- respiratory infection.

The Suns led by as many as 10 in the opening quarter, but the Lakers scored the final six points of the period to trail 28-24 heading into the second.

Marcus Morris and Green keyed a 9-1 run to open the second and take a 12-point advantage with 9:33 to play until half. Morris opened the quarter with a triple and Green followed with back-to-back treys to cap the spurt.

The Lakers chipped away and pulled within five after a running jumper from Meeks with 4:48 remaining.

Phoenix proceeded to outscore the Lakers for the remainder of the stanza by a 15-7 margin to take a 64-51 lead into the locker room. Morris, Green, and Bledsoe all hit 3s during the push to help Phoenix take control at the break.

The Suns took a stranglehold on the contest following a 12-1 run just past the midway point of the third for a commanding 82-58 lead.

The final margin was Phoenix's largest lead of the game.

"It is tough," said Young. "We are all competitive. We all want to win. We know how important it is in the Western Conference; every game counts."

Game Notes

Plumlee's previous career-high was a 15 rebound effort against Portland Oct. 30 ... Xavier Henry scored 13 points in the setback ... Phoenix has won five straight at home against LA ... The win streak against the Lakers is the longest since March, 2007 ... The Lakers made as many 3s as Green and shot 30 percent from deep ... Phoenix buried 14 triples out of 32 attempts for a 43.8 percent success rate ... The Suns have won 12 straight home games scoring 110 or more ... Los Angeles hosts Miami on Christmas.