• Tweet

• Tweet

Normally when the Los Angeles Lakers are in a tight game with something meaningful on the line, I think you know who takes the game-winning shot. That’s right, Kobe Bryant.

Thursday night brought together the Lakers and Phoenix Suns in Game 5 of the best-of-seven Western Conference finals at Staples Center and this could have been arguably the closest and tightest game played to date in the series. But in the end, it took a buzzer-beater by Ron Artest to lift Los Angeles past Phoenix 103-101 and give them a 3-2 series lead.

Trying to recover, the Lakers surged to a 16-point lead with a Bryant-led 21-4 run as he would drain three consecutive 3-pointers in less than a minute’s time.

Los Angeles jumped to a 74-56 lead in the third quarter, but Phoenix manufactured a 16-4 rally including a four-point play by Jared Dudley to trim the lead to six points going into the fourth quarter.

Led by Steve Nash’s second-half effort, the Suns chipped away at the Lakers’ lead throughout the final period; Phoenix trimmed its deficit to 95-94 when Nash converted a three-point play and then fed Amare Stoudemire for a layup that barely beat the shot clock with 2:52 remaining.

Los Angeles led 101-96 with 1:38 left to go, but Nash hit another jumper and Artest missed twice. The Suns had three chances at three-point paydirt, but missed badly on all three.

Artest would ramble into the lane and beat the buzzer with a wild shot off a Bryant miss, setting off the crowd and sealing the win for Los Angeles.

Bryant nearly pulled off the triple-double in leading the Lakers to the victory, scoring 30 points (including 4 three-pointers), 11 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 blocks while Derek Fisher added 22 with a rebound, 4 assists and a steal; Pau Gasol chipped in 21 with 9 rebounds, 5 assists and a block while Lamar Odom poured in 17 with 13 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.

The Suns were led by Nash with 29 points, 3 rebounds and 11 assists while Stoudemire chipped in 19 with 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks; Channing Frye poured in 14 (including 3 treys) with 10 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a block.

Game 6 between Los Angeles and Phoenix will take place on Saturday night from US Airways Center.