Lakers maul Suns in Kobe/Shaq reunion

The Lakers and Suns tangled in Phoenix on Thursday night and while much of the hype surrounded Shaq vs. Kobe in the end Los Angeles dominated their hosts with their superior depth.  Six Lakers scored in double figures as they defeated the Suns 105-92, improving their record to 9-1 on the season. 

Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 24 points despite a substandard 8 of 23 shooting night.  With the Lakers firmly in control heading into the fourth Kobe was able to sit for most of the period as Coach Phil Jackson continued in his effort to limit the defending MVP’s minutes early in the season.  Kobe’s former teammate/nemesis Shaquille O’Neal added 15 points and 9 boards for the Suns.  Phoenix’s leading scorer was Amare Stoudemire with 21 points.

The story of the game, however, was the Lakers’ depth and contribution of their reserves.  Vladimir Radmanovic added 15 points, while reserves Lamar Odom (13 points), Trevor Ariza (10 points) and Jordan Former (11 points) also contributed double digits scoring.  Overall, the Lakers’ reserves outscored the Suns’ bench 42-30.  After the game, Phil Jackson gave props to his bench:

"It's the kind of game we need from our bench. We were able to play them most of the fourth quarter."

The Lakers’ former center O’Neal also added praise for his old team:

"They're the best team. They're 9-1. They're playing good. Kobe's playing team ball, keeping everybody involved. He's got a lot of shooters around him. They're a very dangerous team."

The Lakers host the red hot Denver Nuggets—5-1 since the acquisition of Chauncy Billups from Detroit—on Friday night.  They’ll host hated rival Sacramento on Sunday and New Jersey on Tuesday.  Phoenix will host Greg Oden, Brandon Roy and the Portland Trailblazers on Saturday before they hit the road for games in Oklahoma City and Minnesota.