On one hand, it was quite frustrating to watch the Phoenix Suns hit three after three in their 121-116 defeat of the Los Angeles Lakers tonight. Sure, the Lakers' defense left a bit to be desired, but the Suns really were extraordinary from beyond the arc. If the Suns make a mere 50% of their 40 three-point attempts, that's six fewer points in a game the Lakers lost by five. You do the math. "You put guys in a gym by themselves, it's tough to shoot that percentage from three," Kobe Bryant said. "They shot lights out." Here are some numbers breaking down the Suns' three-point barrage:
- 1st quarter: 5 for 9 (55.6%)
- 2nd quarter: 7 for 11 (63.6%)
- 3rd quarter: 6 for 9 (66.7%)
- 4th quarter: 4 for 11 (36.4%)
The Lakers by comparison really put the clamps on Phoenix in the final quarter, but to no avail. Here are the three pointers broken down by player:
- Jason Richardson: 7 for 10
- Hedo Turkoglu: 5 for 7
- Channing Frye: 4 for 9
- Goran Dragic: 3 for 5
- Steve Nash: 2 for 3
- Jared Dudley: 1 for 5
- Grant Hill: 0 for 1
"Our philosophy is that those things even out over time; they didn't tonight. A team is going to make a certain percentage of threes. If they make 10 in a game, that's a high number. This team averages nine, so that's a really high number," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said after the game. "The real issue is about those other 80 points that come in the paint [in a normal game], so we try to work with that."
Neither Kobe nor Jackson were pleased with the technical foul called on Lamar Odom with 53.7 seconds remaining in what was a two-point game. Kobe called the technical foul "disgusting," which seems like the kind of thing that could draw a fine from the league.
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