LOS ANGELES -- In a matchup of the Western Conference's two worst teams, the Phoenix Suns showed again they are slightly better than the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brandon Knight scored 22 points and rookie guard Devin Booker added 21, leading the Suns to a 95-90 victory over the Lakers on Friday night at Staples Center.

"Games like this are good, especially good for a young team to be in close games like this," said Tyson Chandler, who collected 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Suns. "You understand that (winning is) a process.

"All of sudden the game starts getting tight and you've got to lock in. You've got to step into screens, you got to key in to what they are doing and how to have some success."

P.J. Tucker chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds for the Suns (19-50) who bounced back from a 103-69 drudging on Thursday by the Utah Jazz.

"We played well. We're embracing the process," Phoenix interim coach Earl Watson said. "We understood last night was a tough game. We got beat pretty badly, so to bounce back tonight and put the effort we put out there is impressive."

Lou Williams scored a game-high 30 points before fouling out with 7.7 seconds left to lead the Lakers (14-55), who have lost nine of the last 11 to the Suns, including two of three this season. Brandon Bass was the only other Lakers player to reach double figures in scoring with 10.

No Lakers starter scored more than nine points, and none appeared in the fourth quarter except Jordan Clarkson, who came in to replace Williams when he fouled out.

"They don't trust each other," Lakers coach Byron Scott said of his starting five. "They are going to have to figure it out. They've got to get to the point where they understand that they have to rely on one another."

Kobe Bryant missed his second straight game with a sore right shoulder. It was the 16th time that Bryant has sat out this season.

Phoenix held a double-digit advantage for much of the way before Los Angeles rallied in the fourth quarter.

A putback by Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr., a dunk by Bass and a 3-point jumper by Williams pulled Los Angeles within 84-83 with 3:51 left.

Knight's 3-pointer gave Phoenix a four-point cushion, but Bass hit a jumper to cut the gap to two.

Williams sliced the lead to 89-88 with another 3-pointer with 1:39 left. Ryan Kelly missed two foul shots with 1:18 left that would have given the Lakers the lead. Kelly also was called for offensive goaltending with 49 seconds remaining.

Another jumper by Knight pushed the lead to 91-88 with 30 seconds remaining.

Knight and Booker clinched the win with each hitting two free throws in the final 15 seconds.

The Lakers' bench produced 59 of the team's points, with 36 of them coming in the fourth.

"We just played with some energy," said Williams, who connected on 10 of 17 shots from the field and 4 of 9 3-pointers and scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.

"Guys came out there and started to get stops. Started to run out a little more and tried to create as many opportunities as we can by getting fouls. Just trying to get some easy ones and get some momentum going."

The Suns led 47-32 at the break, outscoring the Lakers 21-10 in the second quarter. The Suns took a 68-54 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Though they managed just 41.9 percent shooting from the field in the first half, the Suns limited the Lakers to 27.3 percent. The Lakers also misfired on 10 of their 12 3-point attempts and the Suns made 5 of 15 before intermission.

Overall, both teams shot 36 percent from the floor. The Suns made 8 of 30 3-pointers (26.7 percent) to 6 of 23 for the Lakers (26.1).

NOTES: Suns G Devin Booker averaged 21.8 points per game in March, which led all rookies, heading into Friday's game. Booker's four 30-point performances were also tops among first-year players. ... With F Alan Williams making his debut March 17 against the Utah Jazz, the Suns have had 23 different players play this season, matching a franchise record. ... Suns interim coach Earl Watson called Lakers rookie PG D'Angelo Russell a "unique talent. He reminds me a lot of (Dallas G Deron Williams) his rookie year, where guys thought he maybe wasn't quick enough, athletic enough, but then all of a sudden it just clicked." ... The Suns won the rebounding battle 57-50, including a 17-12 edge on the offensive glass. ... The two clubs meet for the final time this season on Wednesday in Phoenix. ... Phoenix hosts the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. The Grizzlies visit the Lakers on Tuesday.