Lakers come back to earth

By Mike Bresnahan

Jan. 18, 2008 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

So much for the best record in the Western Conference.

And the top spot in the Pacific Division. And the seven-game winning streak. And the chance to tuck away a playoff tiebreaker in January.

The Lakers provided a sneak preview of life against the big boys without Andrew Bynum in a 106-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday at Staples Center.

Unlike the rest of their season, it wasn’t poetic. Or pristine.

Quite simply, the Suns never trailed and the Lakers never threatened.

The Lakers’ offense remained unbalanced and awkward, and it had nothing to do with Kobe Bryant taking a whopping number of shots.

Luke Walton was scoreless, Derek Fisher had three points and Kwame Brown had problems finishing around the basket and holding on to the ball.

Bryant had 30 points on 10-for-22 shooting, and Lamar Odom was active with 19 points and 19 rebounds, and that was it for highlights from the starters.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, Steve Nash had 13 points and 20 assists, and Shawn Marion had 20 points and 16 rebounds as the Suns (27-12) took back first place in the Pacific Division and ended the Lakers’ two-day reign atop the Western Conference.

Furthermore, the Suns prevented the Lakers (26-12) from clinching a tiebreaker if the teams finish with the same record. The Suns now trail the season series, 2-1, with one game left between the teams Feb. 20 at Phoenix.

“That was really a hard game for our fans and ourselves,” Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. “We came out really tentative. Some guys were really unsure of what they wanted to do and how they wanted to play.”

The Suns were burning after their loss Tuesday to the Clippers, so they rolled out their verbal attack Wednesday.

“To me, this is the biggest game of the year so far,” center Amare Stoudemire told reporters. “It’s big for them, it’s big for us. . . . It’s time to answer some questions.”

Many were answered, indeed.

The Lakers will struggle down low without Bynum. The Suns aren’t quite done. The next two months could be painful for Lakers followers.

Brown had eight points and six rebounds and drew the ire of fans on a couple of occasions.

The crowd was restless throughout the night, showing displeasure when Brown missed a layup attempt early in the game and booing loudly after the Suns took a 17-6 lead. Fans were also perturbed when Brown missed a dunk in the third quarter.

Brown, Fisher and Walton sat out the entire fourth quarter.

Excitement came only once in the first half for Lakers fans after the home team converted a rare four-point play, Jordan Farmar making a three-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in the first quarter and Bryant hitting a free throw after Raja Bell was called for a simultaneous technical foul.

The Lakers trailed after one, 27-24.

Then they trailed at halftime, 56-43. Then they trailed after three, 79-61.

Then they actually made a run to start the fourth with Odom the only starter on the court.

Sasha Vujacic scored eight points in the first two minutes and Odom’s dunk brought the Lakers within 79-71 with 9:44 to play. But they could get no closer until the final minute, with the game all but ended.

The Lakers definitely missed Bynum.

“We’ve just got to find a way to get everybody involved, offensively and defensively, until that big dude comes back,” Odom said.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Pass masters

Steve Nash had 20 assists Thursday and leads the league with 12.1 a game. The 33-year-old point guard and two-time MVP has averaged almost eight assists in his 12-year career. Yet, he’s only 23rd on the career assist list:

Player

Assists

1. John Stockton

15,806

2. Mark Jackson

10,334

3. Magic Johnson

10,141

4. Oscar Robertson

9,887

5. Jason Kidd

9,088