Lakers point guard Darius Morris gaining from valuable minutes

Second-year point guard Darius Morris made his third-career start Friday night against the Phoenix Suns.

In a career-high 31 minutes, Morris finished with five points and a personal best of six assists against two turnovers.

“For a young player, I thought he did well. He has his moments where he might vacillate a little,” said interim Coach Bernie Bickerstaff. “Defensively he got into [Goran] Dragic late.”

Dragic, starting at the point for the Suns as Steve Nash’s successor, scored 22 points with seven assists (no turnovers).

There were stretches where Dragic clearly got the best of Morris, but the 21-year old guard held his own as the Lakers pulled away to a 114-102 victory.

“I think you have to live with a young player,” said Bickerstaff. “He’s going to make some mistakes, just as long as you make your mistakes going full speed — if they’re mistakes of commission and not omission.”

Morris is averaging 5.6 points a game on 35% shooting from the field and 38.5% from behind the three-point line.

He may not get significant minutes once the Lakers get Nash and veteran Steve Blake back from injury, but Morris is visibly growing from the added responsibility.

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You can email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.