The Los Angeles Lakers absorbed their second straight blowout loss despite a big game from Kobe Bryant, while Derrick Rose was victorious in his return for the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
Bryant scored 31 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists, but it was not enough as the Lakers took a humbling 119-99 loss against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Suns were firing on all cylinders on Wednesday night as they shot 54.9 percent from the field, including an impressive 16-for-32 clip from beyond the arc, which was simply too much to absorb for the Lakers squad that relied heavily on Bryant alone.
Phoenix quickly built a 14-point lead after the first period, but the Lakers managed to trim the lead down to nine points at the half. However, the Suns got into their rhythm again in the third quarter where they outscored the Suns, 39-23, and never looked back from then on en route to the win.
Eric Bledsoe, who signed a long-term deal with the Suns during the offseason, led phoenix with 16 points to go along with nine assists and six rebounds, while Isaiah Thomas posted 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field.
Goran Dragic, last season's Most Improved Player, also had an impressive performance as he finished with 18 points and five rebounds, while Marcus Morris erupted for 21 points.
Meanwhile, Derrick Rose impressed in his first game back from a second major knee injury, helping the Bulls score a 104-80 blowout win against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Rose finished with 13 points to go along with five assists and three rebounds in just 21 minutes of playing time as the Bulls did not need much production from their starters due to the blowout win.
"When things run smooth like the way they were running tonight, I think everyone got a look at our whole entire team and they saw how deep we are," Rose said after the match via ESPN.
Taj Gibson also had an outstanding night for the Bulls as he finished with 22 points on 10-for-12 shooting off the bench, while Pau Gasol had 21 points and 11 rebounds in his debut for Chicago.
Watch the highlights of the Bulls-Knicks and Lakers-Suns matches below.
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