Suns face Clippers in crucial Western Conference showdown
Suns face Clippers in crucial Western Conference showdown: The Phoenix Suns (28-33) will face the Los Angeles Clippers (32-28) on Tuesday night, with the game set for 8 p.m. ET. It will be the final game of the Suns’ four-game homestand and the third of a four-game season series against the Clippers. Phoenix defeated Los Angeles 111-109 in the game on Jan. 27.
Both teams are looking to regain momentum after the All-Star break. The Suns, currently 11th in the Western Conference standings, lost 116-98 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. The seventh-seeded Clippers have also been in a bad spot, losing five of their last six games, including two straight to the Lakers.
Phoenix is led by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, who were initially listed as questionable but have been upgraded as they become available. Meanwhile, the Clippers will rely on their stars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard to get back on track.
The Clippers dominated the third quarter as the Suns struggled, with Kevin Durant trying to keep the Suns in the game, scoring seven of his 15 points in the third quarter, while Devin Booker added eight of his 14 points. However, Phoenix trailed 95-76 entering the final period after the Clippers took full control.
Bradley Beal was sidelined for the remainder of the game with a sore left leg. He failed to score, finishing with two assists and two steals.
For the Clippers, Ivika Zubak dominated inside, making 12-of-13 field goal attempts to lead all scorers with 25 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists. Kawhi Leonard added 19 points, while James Harden added 16 points, a game-high 12 assists and six rebounds. Harden’s second three-pointer with four minutes left in the quarter extended the Clippers’ lead to 23 points.
Suns fall behind in second quarter By halftime, the Suns found themselves in a deep hole, trailing 65-49. Durant struggled to find his rhythm, shooting just 2-of-8 from the field with eight points, four rebounds and three assists. Beal had been out of action before his injury, going 0-of-4 shooting without a score. Booker had six points and three assists, while center Nick Richards led the team with 10 points and four rebounds.
Several players came out on top for the Clippers, with Zubac scoring 15 points, Bogdan Bogdanovic 13 points, and Leonard 11 points.
After a strong first quarter with 57.8% shooting, the Suns’ shooting percentage dropped significantly to 31.8% in the second quarter. Their turnover problems also proved costly, as they committed eight turnovers, which led to 13 Clippers points.
A 7-0 Clippers run midway through the quarter extended their lead to double digits. After an inside basket exchange between Zubak and Richards, Harden ended the half on a 14-6 run, capping it with a three-pointer that gave Los Angeles its largest lead of 17 points.
Suns Start Strong, Take Early Lead in First Quarter Phoenix opened the game with an exciting first quarter, finishing on a 7-2 run to take a 30-24 lead. Royce O’Neal provided the spark, drilling a buzzer-beating three-pointer that brought the crowd back to their feet.
Mason Plumlee hit an alley-oop dunk off a Grayson Allen assist with five seconds left and Tyus Jones made a key defensive play by stealing an inbounds pass, setting up O’Neal’s big shot.
The Clippers led by eight early in the quarter after a Harden-to-Zubak alley-oop. However, the Suns responded with an 8-0 run to take the lead back to 23-20 with less than two minutes remaining.
Starting lineups
Suns: Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Bol Bol, Nick Richards
Clippers: James Harden, Chris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac
Clippers lose key scorer The Clippers are without their leading scorer Norman Powell this season, who is out with a hamstring injury. In addition, several players are unavailable on G League assignments, including Ben Simmons (knee), Derrick Jones Jr. (groin), and Trentin Flowers, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Seth Lundy.
On the Suns side, newly acquired forward Cody Martin is still recovering from a sports hernia and has no schedule for his debut. Jalen Bridges and Titi Washington Jr. remain in the G League.
What’s next?
The Suns will look to bounce back after this game. Meanwhile, the Clippers will end their fight for a playoff spot when they close out their season series against Phoenix.They are doing it.