The calendar still says March, and we almost found ourselves a little madness this evening. The LA Clippers edged out a victory over the short-handed Phoenix Suns, winning 124-118.
Coming off of a crucial win over the Washington Wizards, the Clippers were coming into Phoenix for the second night of a back-to-back. With the likes of Tyson Chandler, Eric Bledsoe, and Brandon Knight all not playing and a Phoenix Suns team who is trying to lose every remaining game, this was the perfect recipe for an easy win, right?
At the end of the first quarter, you just knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game. The Suns jumped out to an early 35-31 lead. Blake Griffin brought the Clippers back, as he scored 20 in the first half, giving the Clippers an eight-point lead going into halftime.
The Clippers led by as many as 12 in the third, but as we’ve seen throughout the season in a way-too often reoccurring theme, they just can’t put their foot on the pedal and close teams out. The Suns finished the third quarter on an 11-2 run and the once double-digit lead was cut to one heading into the fourth quarter.
Can’t Miss: The Clippers will be just fine
The Suns just kept hanging in there, tying the game multiple times, but unable to ever take a lead. After a Devin Booker layup tied the game with just under eight remaining, it appeared as if the Clippers would be in a game that would come down to the wire, again. A crucial fifth foul call on Devin Booker would sideline him with just over seven minutes remaining. Scoring only two points while he sat on the bench, it was clear the Suns lacked the offensive weapon they needed to get themselves back into the ballgame. With 5:01 remaining, Booker checked back in, where he was on the court for a mere 16 seconds, fouling out, and ultimately killing the Suns’ chances of coming back.
Or so we thought.
Those pesky Suns cut the lead to two, after Marquese Chriss drove to the hoop for an easy layup with 3:43 remaining. Calling a timeout, the Clippers desperately needed to regain composure. Chris Paul, being the Point God that he is, immediately restored order, drawing a foul, and going to the line to knock down two crucial free-throws. Free-Throws were vital down the stretch, as T.J. Warren (79% FT Shooter on the year) missed four free-throws, in what ultimately ended up preventing the Suns from doing any sort of catch-up.
Still hanging around, Chris Paul knocked down the dagger, giving the Clippers an eight-point lead with 48 seconds remaining.
All five starters tallied over thirty minutes, which is something we’ll be getting used to come playoff time. Blake Griffin led the way with 31 points, to go along with seven rebounds.
https://twitter.com/FoxSportsWest/status/847675035972026369
DeAndre Jordan had another stellar game, grabbing 17 boards and blocking three shots. Chris Paul added 29, to go along with 10 assists and five rebounds. J.J. Redick, fresh off of his hot performance last night, knocked down three 3-pointers on the night, giving him 14 points.
The bench poured in 34, but more than half came from the ageless-wonder, Jamal Crawford, who scored 19. Not only did Crawford have another stellar performance, he also showed off his dance moves.
https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/847658579842678784
Devin Booker, fresh off of a 70 (!!) point performance against the Celtics, only went for 33. Which, according to his standards, probably wasn’t that much. Knocking down four 3’s, as well as dishing out nine assists, Booker’s night was cut short, as he fouled out with five minutes remaining. Had he stayed out of foul trouble, this could have been an entirely different ball game. Still, 103 points in two games isn’t bad at all.
A win is a win, and this time of year, it is vital that you get em. The Clippers climbed back to within one game of the Utah Jazz for home-court advantage. They also jumped out to a game and-a-half lead over Oklahoma City. The Clippers will square off against the home-town rival Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday afternoon at 12:30pm.
Fun Fact of the Day:
Blake Griffin is two points shy of 10,000 for his career, yay!
https://twitter.com/LACLIPCAST/status/847667608782385159
More from Clipperholics
- Grade the trade: Clippers shockingly land Trae Young in wild proposal
- 3 of the most overpaid players on the LA Clippers’ roster
- Trading for this player covers the Clippers’ biggest weakness
- How will the LA Clippers fare in the in-season tournament?
- Why the LA Clippers should steer clear of recent gold medalist waiver