Late 3 lifts Lakers past Suns, Associated Press, Oct. 23, 2006 12:00 AM
SAN DIEGO - Luke Walton scored 19 points and made a key three-pointer to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 94-91 preseason victory over the Suns on Sunday night.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, the defending NBA scoring champ, did not play. Bryant has yet to play in the exhibition season after undergoing knee surgery in July. The Lakers have one exhibition game remaining before opening the season at home against the Suns on Oct. 31.
Walton keyed a 9-2 run late in the fourth quarter that gave Los Angeles a 93-89 lead. His three-pointer with 41 seconds left capped the run.
After Leandro Barbosa scored for Phoenix on a reverse layup with 31 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 93-91, Walton rebounded a miss by Sasha Vujacic. The Suns were forced to foul and Walton hit one of two free throws for the final score.