Lost in valley of the Suns

Game 2, the images.

Steve Nash zinging a pass through Kwame Brown’s legs for an Amare Stoudemire dunk. Leandro Barbosa ripping through the Lakers’ obedient defense, again and again and again. Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver standing in his courtside seat, euphorically waving a foam No. 1 finger in the air.

Nothing the Lakers wanted to witness, and everything they feared would happen: Game 2 went to Phoenix, decisively, 126-98, on Tuesday at US Airways Center.

The Suns lead the best-of-seven series, 2-0, and added to the already disturbed feelings of a team in serious decline. Game 3 is Thursday night at Staples Center.

Unlike Game 1, this one wasn’t close to competitive, with reporters scrambling for record books for all the reasons the Lakers couldn’t have fathomed.

The effort bordered on the Lakers’ worst playoff loss, a 112-77 humiliation at Utah in May 1998. Only an empty-the-benches fourth quarter, after the Suns’ lead had swelled to 32, saved the visiting team from a possible record-setting evening.

The Lakers allowed a staggering 68 points in the first half, the most they have surrendered in a half this season, another sign of a sinking team that fell to 1-12 against teams with a winning record since a Feb. 3 victory at Washington.

No surprise, Kobe Bryant was the Lakers’ leading scorer, but, very surprisingly, he had only 15 points. He had nine points on four-for-seven shooting in the first quarter but scored only six points the rest of the way, making one of six shots.

“Give me a break,” he yelled out to nobody in particular as the first half came to a close and the Lakers trailed by 21.

He left the game with 5:44 to play, taking a long, lonely walk to the locker room after spraining his right ankle a few minutes earlier in a collision with Barbosa. Bryant is expected to play Thursday.

As if the Lakers didn’t have enough on their minds.

Tuesday night was reminiscent of their Game 7 collapse against the Suns last season, a 121-90 loss that was the worst Game 7 defeat in team history.

And, of equal or greater concern to them, only 11 of 193 teams (5.7%) in NBA history have come back from a 2-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.

“It’s not like we have the best talent in the league, so we really have to pride ourselves on playing hard all the time,” said Bryant, who was then asked whether the Lakers had enough ability to beat the Suns. “Talent-wise, if we try to go mano-a-mano with them, absolutely not. The Phoenix Suns are an incredibly deep team. That’s true for many teams in the league. We have to play a smarter game. We have to play hard and we have to win the hustle points.”

The Suns, on the other hand, had no problem overcoming a glitch in their system. They had lost five consecutive Game 2s in their last five playoff series, including last season against the Lakers and Clippers, but Barbosa and Nash continued to skewer the Lakers.

Barbosa was presented with the NBA’s Sixth Man award before the game, and then made the Lakers look like bronze statues, again whipping his way through their defense for 26 points, 17 in the first half. Nash had 16 points and 14 assists.

“I don’t know if we’ve played better, but that’s pretty good,” Suns Coach Mike D’Antoni said.

There were questions of the Lakers’ mind-set, and whether there was enough confidence in their locker room to come back for Game 3.

“There should be,” Bryant said. “Better be.”

If not, the Lakers could tie a team record Thursday with a sixth consecutive playoff loss.

“Nothing seemed to work. I have no answers for that,” said forward Lamar Odom, who had 10 points and 10 rebounds. “It makes no sense. It’s kind of sad. I don’t know if we’re as close as a team as we need to be in terms of camaraderie, but something has to change, and quick.”

The night didn’t start out well for the Lakers, who arrived a few minutes later than expected because of jammed downtown streets during rush-hour in part because of an Arizona Diamondbacks game.

“That legendary Phoenix traffic,” Lakers spokesman John Black said, tongue in cheek.

The Lakers eventually made it to the game, which turned out to be an unfortunate thing for them. Game 3, and their season, beckons.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

* The Suns’ backcourt again decimated the Lakers. Steve Nash had 16 points and 14 assists, and Leandro Barbosa had 26 points.

* The Lakers surrendered 68 points in the first half, the most they’ve given up in a half this season.

* Kobe Bryant was the Lakers’ leading scorer, but he had only 15 points on five-for-13 shooting. Three other Lakers had 10 points.

-- MIKE BRESNAHAN