Suns use 3-pt barrage to top Lakers

LOS ANGELES (AP)

Jason Richardson scored 34 points and the Phoenix Suns hit the second-most 3-pointers in NBA history to hold off the Los Angeles Lakers 121-116 on Sunday night.

The two-time defending league champions lost their second in a row and first at home this season.

Steve Nash added 21 points and 13 assists, Channing Frye had 20 points, and Hedo Turkoglu had 17 points for the Suns, who beat the Lakers at Staples Center for the first time since Jan. 17, 2008.

The Suns were 22 of 40 from 3-point range, just missing the league record of 23 set by Orlando against Sacramento in January 2009. Their 3s were the most by a Lakers' opponent in franchise history, bettering their own previous record of 19 in 2005.

The teams combined for 31 3s, second-most in league history behind the 32 by Phoenix and Seattle in a double-overtime game on Jan. 22, 2006.

Richardson made seven 3s, Turkoglu had five and Frye four, helping the Suns shoot better from behind the arc (55 percent) than from the floor (51 percent).

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Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 28 points and 17 rebounds in 41 minutes. Kobe Bryant added 25 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds, Lamar Odom had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Ron Artest had 13 points. Shannon Brown added 12 off the bench.

The Suns took the lead for good early in the third quarter, putting the Lakers in scramble mode the rest of the game.

Frye hit a 3 to open the fourth and give Phoenix an 11-point lead. Brown answered with two 3s of his own and Matt Barnes dunked to close the Lakers' deficit to 104-102. Bryant didn't score until late in the quarter.

Nash ran off eight straight points, including a free throw on a technical foul against Odom, to keep the Suns ahead 112-109. The teams had barely come on the floor after a timeout when Turkoglu launched another 3-pointer.

The Lakers trailed most of the third, when the Suns went 6 of 9 from 3-point range. In one sequence, Nash hit from long-range, then Richardson followed with two more 3s as the Lakers' defense was powerless to stop them. Phoenix took a 92-84 lead into the fourth.

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Trailing by six, the Suns closed the first half on a 16-7 run to lead 56-53. They made seven 3-pointers in the second quarter, including four in the spurt. Richardson and Frye combined for 29 of the Suns' points and seven 3-pointers with the Lakers offering little resistance on the perimeter.

NOTES: Suns starting C Robin Lopez sprained his left knee and didn't return for the second half. ... Lakers backup G Steve Blake sat out because of a bad stomach. ... The teams have split their first two games, with the Lakers winning at Phoenix. ... After playing seven of their first 10 games at home, the Lakers embark on a three-game Midwest trip starting Tuesday.