Against a hot-shooting Clippers squad, the Phoenix Suns got off to a sluggish start and were unable to finish the comeback. At the Footprint Center, the Clippers won by a total score of 131–122.

The Clippers dominated the first half, leading by 15 to 20 points for the majority of it. The Suns appeared to be lacking in offensive firepower, and a 30+ point thrashing was all but certain in the second half.

Bol The Suns offense found its flow in the second half, scoring 71 points in the third and fourth quarters while Bol looked good. Though it was a heroic effort, especially in a game without superstar Kevin Durant, it was ultimately too little, too late. Devin Booker powered the Suns to tie the game until the Clippers put the finishing touches on them, scoring 28 of his 35 points in the second half.

First Half

The Clippers got off to an early lead in the first quarter. Their efficient ball movement and blistering shooting were tearing apart the Suns’ defense. The Suns called a timeout after Los Angeles surged out to a 24-13 lead in the opening 7:15.

Things didn’t appear to get any better after the break as the Clippers embarked on a 6-0 run to increase their lead to 17 points with a score of 30–13.

Ty Lue called a timeout after Phoenix closed the gap to 12 points with a rapid 5-0 run. The Clippers had a terrific quarter-ending performance and led 35-20 going into the second quarter, with a 15-point advantage.

With an outstanding 11-4 run to start the second quarter, the Suns forced a timeout from LAC. Bol Bol and Chimezie Metu commanded the Beal-Gordon-Okogie-Metu-Bol formation.

Almost every run that Phoenix would score to narrow the advantage was matched by the Clippers.

The Clippers were 9-17 (52.9%) from three through the first 22 minutes of play, while Phoenix shot 3-13 (23.1%) from beyond the arc. This may have contributed to Phoenix’s poor start.

With 1:50 remaining in the second quarter, a struggling and irate Devin Booker was called for a technical foul, and then Kawhi Leonard made a drive to the hoop to increase the Los Angeles advantage to 19. For the opening part of the game, Booker was uneasy with LA’s blitzing and defensive attack.

The Suns were behind by 19 points at the half, 70-51. To put it mildly, it was difficult. Phoenix would have fallen behind by 21 points if not for Beal’s three points at the free-throw line in the closing seconds.

The Second Half

The Suns’ offense got off to a quick start, but the Clippers simply kept making tough shots to counter every attempt Phoenix fired. The theme for Los Angeles throughout the entire evening was the challenging shot-making—sometimes you just gotta tip the cap.

Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were punishing the Suns, playing fierce defense and hardly missing a shot. The Suns were unable to halt the Clippers’ relentless offensive assault.

Positively, Bradley Beal had an excellent game tonight, putting pressure on the rim and slashing hard to the basket. Although his energy level decreased slightly in the second half, it was evident early on.

After scoring just 7 points in the first half, Devin Booker turned things up a level in the third quarter, hitting an explosive 19 points. Even after scoring 40 points in the quarter, the Suns were still behind by 16 points going into the last quarter (107-91).

The last quarter of play began in the same manner as the second and third quarters, with the Clippers matching every blow that was hurled at them. It was just, in Eddie Johnson’s words, their night.

Five minutes into the quarter, things started to become strange. In a Josh Okogie match, the Suns won a challenge that cost James Harden three free throws. Then, after winning the tip post-challenge, they stole Kawhi’s shot (violating the shot clock) from an earlier possession, which was finished off by a putback from Bol Bol.

The building regained energy due to the significant momentum shift caused by the 7-point swing.

After a Devin Booker triple with little over four minutes left, Phoenix reduced the lead to eight. It was shortly back to an 11-point game thanks to a Norman Powell three, which was particularly devastating when the Suns turned it over on the next play.

The Suns had an opportunity to spice things up, but the Clippers would not give up. Moving on to the following one.