NBA PLAYOFFS / UPDATE : LAKERS : Christie Finds a Way to Contribute

Rookie guard Doug Christie, who played 12 minutes Tuesday and has played 25 in the series, has found a new role as the cheerleader for the Lakers’ reserves.

“You have to add whatever you can add, however you can add it,” he said. “Right now, the best way for me to add is with enthusiasm, to help uplift the team and be as vocal and verbal as possible. We need everyone to be on the same page, cheering or out there on the court.”

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The Suns sank an NBA-record 398 three-pointers during the season but were only two for 19 entering Tuesday’s game. . . . Dan Majerle, who scored nine points in Game 1 and eight in Game 2, never went three regular-season games with single-digit point totals. He had 10 points Tuesday. . . . The Lakers have lost only one playoff series after taking a 2-0 lead, the 1966 NBA finals, and not two series as was reported in Tuesday’s editions. . . . The Lakers’ two victories at Phoenix represented only the second time they won the first two games of a series on the road since a second-round series in 1970 against Atlanta.