Phoenix 118, LA Lakers 103

In a matchup of high-octane offenses, the Suns just proved to be too much tonight at home.

The Suns took the lead with a 12-0 run to take the lead 32-23 in the early second quarter. While the Lakers would get it as close as 3, the lead never changed hands from that point on.  Amare Stoudemire (26 points) and Jared Dudley (19) led the Suns in scoring. Steve Nash chipped in his usual 13 assists in the rout.

The Lakers, who were missing Ron Artest due to an injury sustained on Sunday, didn’t necessarily play a bad game. The key tonight was the 3 point shooting – while percentage-wise their shooting was about equal, the Suns made 6 more shots from beyond the arc. Kobe Bryant sat half of the fourth quarter, despite a strong 34 points in the loss.

Here’s a look at the rest of the games that went down on Monday night:

Memphis 116, Washington 111 (OT)

A game that came down to some crazy shots, clutch foul shooting, and impressive performances down the stretch. Zach Randolph notched yet another double-double with 23 points and 19 rebounds in the win for the Grizzlies. Memphis was without Rudy Gay for this game, as he was scratched with a left ankle sprain.  Marc Gasol hit clutch free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach in OT…Memphis shot 24-28 from the charity stripe, not bad for a team that normally shoots around 72%.

Gilbert Arenas had an off-balanced shot nearly steal the game away from the Grizzlies with time running out in regulation. He finished with 30 points.

Oklahoma City 105, New Jersey 89

Oklahoma City burst out the gate in the fourth quarter to pull away at the IZOD Center, and the Nets make yet another investment in the “L” column. While Devin Harris at least entertained the crowd with some impressive passing and acrobatic takes to the basket, it was only the opening act…to the Kevin Durant Show. Durant finished with 40 points, including an impressive running floater to end the first half.

The Nets managed to keep it close until the fourth quarter, where after 6 minutes in they had only scored 2 points. It looks like they will be continue to lose until this team realizes there are more than 3 quarters in a game.  Yi Jianlian provided a spark for the Nets, scoring 29 points in a start over the injured Josh Boone (knee).

Charlotte 94, Milwaukee 84

With the Bucks down 22 at halftime and two of their stars off to miserable starts, Scott Skiles benched Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut for the second half. It seemed to turn his team around as Luke Ridnour scored 12 points in the third quarter to cut the lead to 10. But wasn’t enough to garner a win tonight. Brandon Jennings finished with 24 points and seven assists in the loss. Gerald Wallace led the attack for the Bobcats, finishing with 24 points and 14 rebounds.

-Duts