TOO HOT TO HANDLE NBA: SUNS SHOOT NEARLY 52 PERCENT IN DEFEATING LAKERS AT STAPLES CENTER.

Byline: Daily News

So much for the Lakers' stay atop the Western Conference.

Leandro Barbosa came off the bench to score a team-high 22 points and Steve Nash added 13 points and 20 assists as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Lakers 106-98 Thursday night at Staples Center in a matchup of the top two teams in the conference.

The Lakers had moved into first place in the West - a half-game ahead of the Suns - when Phoenix lost Tuesday to the Clippers.

Shawn Marion added 20 points and 16 rebounds, Boris Diaw had 19 points, and Raja Bell and Amare Stoudemire each scored 16 for Phoenix, which beat the Lakers for the first time in three meetings this season. Diaw provided all of the scoring by the Suns' reserves.

Phoenix shot 51.9 percent from the field and made 9 of 18 3-point attempts.

Kobe Bryant scored 30 points for the Lakers, shooting 10 of 22 from the field. Lamar Odom added 19 points and a game-high 19 rebounds.

The Lakers fell behind 56-43 at halftime and couldn't quite recover, despite outscoring the Suns 37-27 in the fourth quarter.

LAKERS

MONDAY

vs. Denver, 7:30 p.m., Staples Center.

TV: FSN, TNT.