<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Lakers' Kobe Bryant causes all kinds of matchup problems, but tonight the Suns try to extend their streak of success vs. LA. The Suns swept the Lakers last season (4-0) for the first time since 1992-93 and beat the Lakers 122-112 on Nov. 3 in Los Angeles. Phoenix won't stop Bryant, the league's leading scorer at 34.3 points per game entering Thursday's games. But if the Suns can just slow him or disrupt him, their chances for victory increase. "We'll do the best job we can, but if Kobe gets 50 or 30, it just depends on Kobe," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He's just a phenomenal basketball player playing at the highest level, hopefully, that he can play. . . . It's really fun to watch him." Suns defensive pest Raja Bell was asked earlier this season to pinpoint his greatest defensive performance. He considered Seattle's Ray Allen. He thought about San Antonio's Manu Ginobili. He settled on Bryant. "That might have been the best 'D' I played all year, and he had (39)," Bell said. "But he had to work for it. And at the end of the night, if a guy has to shoot 30 shots to get 30 points, then you're doing the job." Bryant shot 13 for 26 in that home loss to the Suns. </div> Source
