National Basketball Association

Kobe, Lakers hammer Nash, Suns

Published Nov. 13, 2009 8:04 a.m. ET

foxsports

One moment after Steve Nash threw a pass into the stands in the third quarter, Lamar Odom found Kobe Bryant with an alley-oop pass for a behind-the-head dunk.

While the travel-weary Phoenix Suns played like a skipping record, Bryant's well-rested Lakers were perfectly in tune for their biggest win of the young season.

Bryant scored 29 points, Andrew Bynum had 26 points and 15 rebounds in his return from injury, and Los Angeles put the brakes on the Suns' fast start with a 121-102 victory Thursday night.

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Josh Powell scored 14 points for the defending champions, who won their sixth straight and improved to 7-1 by handing the Suns their second loss. Los Angeles snapped the Suns' four-game winning streak, countering Phoenix's up-tempo style with strong defense and steady scoring from the low post to the transition game.

It all added up to an impressive performance for the Lakers in the first of two straight major tests, including Friday night's visit to Denver for a rematch of the Western Conference finals.

"We really did a good job focusing ourselves," Bryant said. "They do what they do, and we try to stop it. We showed a lot of control, a lot of maturity. It was a very disciplined game for us."

After three days off to rest, Bynum looked sharp in his return to the Lakers' starting lineup after a two-game absence with a strained right elbow. Los Angeles still is without Pau Gasol, who won't make the trip to Denver while rehabilitating his strained hamstring, but the remaining Lakers have been mostly dominant through eight games.

"I got my legs back, and I'm fresh," Bynum said. "As far as the elbow goes, I'm going to continue getting treatment. It hurts a little bit, but it's going to be that way for a little while."