Dragic helps Suns top Lakers

Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Goran Dragic had 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 115-100 on Monday night.

Isaiah Thomas posted 24 points, five steals and four assists, Eric Bledsoe tallied 17 points, seven helpers and five boards and Markieff Morris added 15 points for the Suns, who have won three in a row and seven of their last nine games.

Nick Young netted 24 points off the bench to lead Los Angeles, which lost its fifth consecutive contest.

"We turned the ball over a lot tonight," said Young. "That's one of the main reasons."

Kobe Bryant sat out to rest for the Lakers.

The game was tied 26-26 following a quarter of play and 51-51 at the half, but the Suns began to gradually pull away in the third.

After a Jeremy Lin layup knotted the contest at 60-60, a 7-1 spurt helped Phoenix create some distance. Bledsoe nailed a 3-pointer and drove in for a layup and P.J. Tucker capped the mini run with a layup to stake the Suns to a 67-61 advantage.

Phoenix upped its margin to 87-77 after three and an 11-3 burst during the early stages of the fourth created more separation. Gerald Green hit consecutive triples to highlight the surge and Marcus Morris finished it off with a trey for a commanding 102-83 spread midway through the frame.

"The third quarter was awesome. We played hard on both ends, defense and offense," said Dragic.

Two Young triples and four-point play on three straight trips up the floor got the Lakers within 105-98. He scored 16 straight Lakers points before a Jordan Hill jumper a bit later whittled the deficit to 106-100 with 2:59 to play.

Phoenix, though, netted the final nine points of the game.

Game Notes

Phoenix is 13-4 since Dec. 17 ... The Suns won their sixth straight home game, the longest home winning streak since an eight-game run from March 14-April 13, 2010 ... The Lakers fell to 2-6 on the season without Bryant in the lineup ... The Suns scored 27 points off 23 Phoenix turnovers.