The Los Angeles Had Beaten Phoenix- Twice

Jared Dudley scored a season-high 25 points, Marcin Gortat had 21 points and 15 rebounds and the Phoenix Suns held on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 102-90 Sunday night, ending a four-game losing streak.The Lakers, who had won three straight, trailed by 23 at halftime and 27 in the third quarter before cutting it to 10 in the fourth.

Kobe Bryant scored 32 points but was 1 of 8 on 3-pointers and committed 10 turnovers, one shy of his career worst. Grant Hill scored 15 points and Steve Nash had 14 assists for the Suns.The teams were playing for the second consecutive game. The Lakers won in Los Angeles 111-99 on Friday night. Pau Gasol added 17 points and 12 rebounds and Andrew Bynum had 16 points and 10 boards for the Lakers. The Los Angeles had beaten Phoenix twice at home this season.

The loss matched the most one-sided defeat for the Lakers this season. They had never trailed by more than 23. Bryant, not surprisingly, got the Lakers back within striking distance. The NBA's scoring leader had the last 11 points in a 13-2 run that cut the lead to 80-65 with 51.8 seconds left, including a 16-footer as he was falling down and his first 3-pointer of the night. Phoenix led 82-67 entering the fourth.

Entertainment News: This has not been a good year for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak.

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Divided Lakers simply get lost on way to three-peat

With embarrassing sweep out of the playoffs by Dallas, they have seen the enemy, and it is them. And, going forward, they have no coach, no bench and little money to get better quick.

From Dallas

For six months, the Lakers' third time was a charm.

On Sunday, it resolutely and reprehensibly crumbled into a curse.

The expectations were too heavy. The distractions were too large. The bodies were too weary. The heart was too faint.

And, believe it or not, the Dallas Mavericks were too good, the NBA's softest playoff team pounding the Lakers into sweeping submission with a 122-86 victory to finish off a four-game sweep of the second-round playoff series.

"I don't know where we lost it … that drive, that bond we had in the past, that cohesive drive in order to overcome adversity," said Lamar Odom.

They weren't just beaten, they were embarrassed by two punk moves that led to ejections, humiliated by a crowd that sang and jeered them off the court, and shamed into an uncertain future.

"It's going to be a l-o-o-o-ng summer," said Ron Artest.

It's been a long three years, with the two-time defending champions finally collapsing under the weight of issues both personal and professional, a lack of locker-room trust tearing apart their fabric on the court.

"This is the worst I've ever seen the Lakers play in a game that they need," said Magic Johnson, team vice president, during a televised halftime show.

In the horrific final two hours Sunday, they didn't pass, they didn't shoot, and they didn't guard anybody, raising a white flag that allowed the Mavericks to tie an NBA playoff record with 20 mostly wide-open three pointers.


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