Lakers get better of the Suns

Kyle Kuzma had 23 points off the bench and hit a pair of key 3-pointers down the stretch, and the Los Angeles Lakers pulled away from the host Phoenix Suns for a 123-115 victory last night.

Anthony Davis had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Los Angeles, and LeBron James added 19 points and 11 assists.

James made a 3-pointer and Kuzma sank two treys in a row in a 90-second stretch as the Lakers closed on a 12-2 run to win for the eighth time in nine games. The Suns, who have lost two of three, did not have a field goal in the final 3:28.

Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma hit two clutch shots nearing the end of the game against the Suns.

Lakers guard Rajon Rondo had five points and seven assists in 14 minutes in his return after missing the first nine games of the season due to a right calf strain. For Phoenix, Ricky Rubio had 21 points and 10 assists, Devin Booker 21 points and Aron Baynes 20 points.

Joel Embiid had 27 points and 16 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season to lead hosts Philadelphia 76ers to a 98-97 win over Cleveland Cavaliers.

Embiid’s dunk with 13.2 seconds left turned out to be the winning basket in a game that Cleveland led by five with five minutes left. The late hoop, following an empty possession from each team, put Philadelphia up by one.

On Cleveland’s final possession, Kevin Love missed a 3-point attempt. The ball bounced around with players diving all over the floor for the rebound, and the clock eventually ran out. Love and Jordan Clarkson each scored 20 points for the Cavaliers.

T.J. Warren scored 23 points and Indiana Pacers used a dominant third quarter to cruise to a 111-85 victory over Oklahoma City in Indianapolis, the Pacers’ seventh win in eight games.

Malcolm Brogdon added 20 points and former Thunder forward Domantas Sabonis notched his fifth straight double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Pacers, who outscored Oklahoma City 34-20 in the third quarter.

Danilo Gallinari scored 14 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 11 for Oklahoma City, which shot 1-for-18 from 3-point range over the first three quarters. The Thunder finished 6 of 25 from beyond the arc en route to losing their second straight and dropping three of their last four games.

Jimmy Butler had a season-high 13 assists to go with 20 points as short-handed Miami Heat defeated road-weary Detroit Pistons 117-108.

Heat center Bam Adebayo also had a double-double — 18 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Heat guard Kendrick Nunn also played well with 20 points as Miami used a 17-0 second-quarter run to improve to 4-0 at home this season.

Detroit, 1-5 on the road, were led by Luke Kennard, who had a game-high 22 points, all in the second half. He missed all seven of his first-half shots and shot 8-of-11 after the break.

Other scores: Bulls 120, Knicks 102; Jazz 119, Nets 114; Hawks 125, Nuggets 121; Kings 107, Trail Blazers 99.