Suns Back on Horizon

Hold the Hallway Series. Put away the pre-made T-shirts. Take the nation’s second-largest market off basketball alert.

The Lakers and Clippers won’t be starting any playoff series as long as the Phoenix Suns get to vote on the way things fall into place -- and fall the Lakers did, 114-97, in Game 5 of their first-round series Tuesday at US Airways Center.

On a day when Laker center-forward Kwame Brown was being investigated for alleged sexual assault, the Laker lead slipped to 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

The Suns rediscovered themselves, a runaway series was reeled back in, and the Lakers would be wise to end things Game 6 Thursday at Staples Center, if the Suns can still be stuffed back into the bottle. Game 7 would be Saturday in Phoenix.

Laker Coach Phil Jackson warned about this, and then it happened, the Lakers failing to play like a desperate team and the Suns playing like, well, the Suns.

The league’s highest-scoring team had been held under 100 their last three games, all losses, but there’s only so long the Suns stay stunned.

Six Suns scored in double figures, led by 25 from Boris Diaw, 22 from Steve Nash and 21 from Shawn Marion. Only Kobe Bryant (29 points), Lamar Odom (18 points) and Brown (14 points) were in double-figure scoring for the Lakers.

The Suns hadn’t scored this many points in the series since a 107-102 victory in Game 1.

“That’s what happens when teams play with some desperation,” Jackson said. “They were active and aggressive and beat us with the nature of their play.”

There’s still plenty of work to do for the Lakers, despite the “Beat L.A.” chant that briefly appeared in the Clippers’ clinching victory Monday over Denver at Staples Center.

The Laker defense was leaky and indifferent, bringing to mind their problems in three regular-season losses to the Suns. Smush Parker, a hero in Game 4, had five points on one-for-seven shooting and no game-turning steals.

The game had features other than the rising of the Suns, including the re-ignition of the Bryant-Raja Bell feud.

Bryant took two healthy slaps at Bell’s arm while Bell hand-checked him in the second quarter. They were each hit with a technical foul.

Then, with 7:33 left to play, Bell wrapped his left arm around Bryant’s neck and threw him to the floor as Bryant drove to the basket. Bell picked up his second technical foul and was automatically ejected.

“I’ve been hit in the face multiple times in the series and it was an overreaction,” Bell said.

Said Bryant: “It’s something that belongs in the octagon,” a reference to the cage used in ultimate fighting contests.

Bell could face disciplinary action from the league for the severity of the play, although Jackson and Bryant said they hoped he would not be suspended.

Bryant went on to defend the style of play of the suddenly physical Lakers.

“We’re kind of throwbacks to the ‘80s style of basketball,” he said. “Just physical basketball. I’m not out there trying to elbow somebody. If you get elbowed, you’ve just got to keep your cool. I get elbowed all the time.

“I like playing that style. It excites me more than anything.”

It was Bryant’s turn to leave with 3:11 to play. He argued a non-call with referee Leon Wood and was hit with his second technical. He smiled dryly and shook his head as he left the court.

Jackson criticized the referees, saying they “were making up rules.”

“We had officials that were calling stuff that isn’t in the rule book,” he said. “Ronny [Turiaf] got a technical. We didn’t know if that was a flagrant or why it was a technical on the foul. Sasha [Vujacic] got called for a delay of game for throwing the ball [into the base of the basket]. You see that happen a lot in this game, but I’ve never seen that one before.”

There were other issues.

The L.A. Police Department announced Tuesday afternoon that it was investigating a report of sexual assault involving Brown that allegedly occurred early Saturday morning.

Brown was not made available to reporters but said he was “completely innocent of any wrongdoing” in a statement.

Jackson, speaking before the game, said the Lakers were “not even going to discuss it.”

“As a basketball team, we’re going to focus on what we need to do,” he said. “I did say something to Kwame. We have three priorities: Basketball, basketball, and family. That’s it.”

Brown made all six of his shots in a foul-plagued game. He played only 24 minutes, 10 below his series average.

Bryant, who made 10 of 17 shots, showed few effects after a whirlwind 48 hours that included two Game 4 buzzer-beaters and the birth of his second daughter.

The Lakers, however, looked sluggish from the start, falling behind 7-0 and 15-5.

They managed to take a 39-37 lead on a three-point play by Turiaf with 5:09 left in the second quarter but gradually gave way from there.

The Suns took a 56-47 halftime lead and then came the third quarter, the end of Laker chances to finish the series Tuesday. Marion and Nash each had nine points to push the Suns to an 84-68 lead going into the fourth.