Lakers 114, Suns 102: Kobe Bryant scored 31 points and Metta World Peace added 22 as host Los Angeles improved to 3-1 since firing head coach Mike Brown.

Dwight Howard had 18 points and 12 rebounds while Pau Gasol added 16 and 10 for the Lakers, who have won eight of their last nine home games against the Suns.

Goran Dragic scored 22 points and Luis Scola added 18 for Phoenix, which gave up its second-highest number of points this season.

Mike D’Antoni will coach his first game for the Lakers on Sunday, and his former team was knotted at 84 with his new club with 1:47 left in the third quarter. Los Angeles went on a 15-2 run, and Howard’s three-point play with 9:26 left in the game culminated the surge and gave the Lakers a 101-86 advantage.

Los Angeles had a 50-40 advantage with eight minutes to go in the first half before Phoenix rolled off 15 straight points to take a five-point lead. The Lakers then rolled off 12 straight en route to taking a 62-57 halftime lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Los Angeles guard Steve Blake missed his second straight game due to an abdominal injury. … Phoenix has allowed 100 or more points in six of its last seven games. … The Lakers unveiled a statue earlier Friday of Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.