Lakers vs. Suns Final Score: Jordan Clarkson melts the Suns in 97-77 victory

The Los Angeles Lakers were head-and-shoulders better than the Phoenix Suns in a 97-77 victory. The Lakers make it three victories in a row, leading by as many as 38 points as they ran the score up on Phoenix. The Suns scored a franchise-low 22 points through the first half, and the Lakers looked like they were ready to cruise to a win in the final quarter.

The Suns went on a fourth-quarter run to threaten the Lakers lead, chipping it down to 14 points, but it was too little too late. The Lakers were able to hold them off, but you could almost feel the tension rising as the comeback inched closer. The starting lineup checked in to close the game out and secure their third straight win.

Lou Williams scored a game-high 30 points, draining six three-pointers in a relentless assault on a team that looked completely disinterested in competing through three quarters. D'Angelo Russell had a quiet seven points before subbing out after hurting his hand in the second half.

Jordan Clarkson did a great job attacking the Suns' defense and finding the open man, setting up Larry Nance, Jr. for a handful of dunks. Clarkson's finest moment, though, was a dunk so vicious that it killed Nick Young on the bench. Luckily his teammates were there ready to resuscitate him:

The fourth-quarter scare made for a disappointing end to what was a great showing otherwise, but it's hard to be too upset when the Lakers were getting everything they wanted the majority of the game. They came out with momentum, held on to it through most of the game, and looked significantly better than Phoenix. That's a knock on Phoenix no doubt, but the purple and gold deserve credit for getting it done.

Let's see what happens when the Golden State Warriors come to town Tuesday.