LOS ANGELES >> On Wednesday night, the Lakers heard no sweeter sound than a whistle.

The sharp, staccato bursts from the officials were a soundtrack to another needed win.

In the next few weeks, the Lakers (36-37) might just be built best to play ugly: Against the Phoenix Suns (38-34), they pushed it to an entirely new level with a season-high 46 free-throw attempts in a 122-111 victory, their second straight.

Anthony Davis paced the evening with a team-best 27 points, going 10 for 18 from the field including a few tough floaters against a Phoenix team with an undermanned frontcourt. But the biggest mark was his 7 for 10 contribution to the Lakers’ 36 for 46 free throw line performance, which punished the Suns early, to the points where they were bubbling over the sideline in frustration.

Overall, the Lakers attempted 26 more free throws than Phoenix and made 21 more of them. There’s a well-known rivalry between the Suns’ Chris Paul and chief official Scott Foster that was sure to be stoked anew after the game — Paul has complained before that Foster shows bias against his teams — but the Lakers weren’t complaining.

In fact, the Lakers moved back into play-in position after the Utah Jazz lost to Portland, another relieving standings move in a race that has half the teams in the West biting their nails — including, perhaps, Phoenix, which will have to endure with injuries for the final few weeks of the season. With the win, the Lakers broke a streak of nine straight losses to the Suns dating back to their 2021 playoff series.

Fresh off of 46 points in his previous game, Devin Booker scorched in the second half with 25 of his 33 points, finding a rhythm in his jumper after primary defender Jarred Vanderbilt ran into foul trouble. The Suns needed him to be hot, with Paul facing foul issues of his own, and the team down Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton to injury (neither traveled to Los Angeles).

The Lakers were able to counter with a high-scoring night from their own backcourt, including Reaves, who cracked the starting lineup after a career night against Orlando. For a guard with a penchant to get to the line, it was the perfect night to stand out: Reaves enjoyed his third straight game with double-digit free-throw attempts, making 12 of 13. He also made his mark making plays, drawing up a career-best 11 assists.

Russell had one of his better nights as a shooter, going 9 for 13 from the floor, including three 3-pointers. The guard had 18 of his points in the second half, bringing a shot of energy into an often plodding game.