The AP reports:
Ron Artest banked home the winning shot after grabbing the biggest offensive rebound of his career, nudging the Lakers past the Phoenix Suns 103-101 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 series lead.
Kobe Bryant had 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, but the improbable hero of Game 5 is the only new player on their roster. Bryant and Artest wrapped each other in a bear hug after Artest homed in on Bryant’s miss and threw up a hideous shot that somehow went in…
Artest’s basket completed a 2-for-9 shooting night redeemed by one supremely heady offensive rebound. Moments earlier, Jason Richardson banked in a straightaway 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left to tie it for the Suns…
Phoenix clawed back from an 18-point deficit in the second half with a superb game by Steve Nash, who had 29 points and 11 assists. After Richardson’s accidental tying bank shot, the Lakers went to Bryant, whose miss went straight to Artest…
Lamar Odom had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who led 101-96 with 90 seconds to play before Nash hit another jumper and Artest missed twice, the home crowd yelling in frustration with each open brick…
Derek Fisher scored 22 points and Gasol had 21 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who rebounded from consecutive losses in Phoenix with their best defensive performance of the series, forcing 15 turnovers and holding Phoenix to mediocre shooting—yet the Suns still came agonizingly close to handing Los Angeles its first home loss of the postseason.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
Staples Center had fallen silent after Jason Richardson banked in a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left, not long after practically the entire crowd begged Artest to stop shooting when he missed two open looks from the left side near the one-minute mark.
But then Artest, of all people, maligned much of the season as Lakers fans pined for Trevor Ariza, carved out the franchise’s latest slice of playoff lore with an improbable play against the Phoenix Suns.
Bryant’s herky-jerky three-point attempt missed badly from the right side with 2.5 seconds left, but Artest beat Richardson to the airball and put in an off-balance follow that banked in as time expired, giving the Lakers a 103-101 victory Thursday in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals…
The Suns trailed by 18 in the third quarter as Bryant continued to scorch them on the way to 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
But the Suns rallied behind a four-point play by Jared Dudley and trailed going into the fourth quarter, 78-72.
After Richardson’s three-pointer, the Suns were hoping they did enough to force overtime.
