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Three takeaways from the LA Clippers’ loss in Phoenix

By Garrett Chorpenning

PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 26: Montrezl Harrell #5 and Maurice Harkless #8 of the LA Clippers high-five during a game against the Phoenix Suns on October 26, 2019 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - OCTOBER 26: Montrezl Harrell #5 and Maurice Harkless #8 of the LA Clippers high-five during a game against the Phoenix Suns on October 26, 2019 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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PHOENIX, AZ – OCTOBER 26: Montrezl Harrell #5 and Maurice Harkless #8 of the LA Clippers high-five during a game against the Phoenix Suns on October 26, 2019 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ – OCTOBER 26: Montrezl Harrell #5 and Maurice Harkless #8 of the LA Clippers high-five during a game against the Phoenix Suns on October 26, 2019 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The LA Clippers took their first loss of the season Saturday night against a hungry Phoenix Suns squad. Here are three takeaways.

After dominating both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors to begin the season, a matchup with the Phoenix Suns seemed like it would be a cakewalk for the LA Clippers.

The opposite ended up being true.

Rather than going into Talking Stick Resort Arena playing poised and in control, the Clippers looked slow and stunned in their 130-122 loss Saturday night.

Kawhi Leonard began the game by knocking down a three-pointer to give the Clippers a 3-0 lead, which would end up being LA’s largest lead of the night. From there, Phoenix went on a 14-2 run, and the Clippers were never quite able to recover.

LA did come back to tie things up at 55 going into the half, thanks to a three-pointer from Lou Williams that came with 12 seconds left in the second quarter. But even then, the game already felt like it was Phoenix’s to lose.

Phoenix took over in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter, extending their lead to 15 at one point late in the game. Devin Booker had his best game of the young season, going for 30 points (16 of which came in the fourth), six assists and eight rebounds in 38 minutes.

Ultimately, it was a game that the Clippers deserved to lose. They were out-hustled, gave up far too many open three-pointers and struggled to score the ball. Not much, if anything, went right. And the Suns deserve a lot of credit for what they were able to pull off.

Fortunately — and it seems foolish to say this — the Clippers are just three games into the season. They looked fantastic in their first two games, and they’ll have plenty more nights like those, but there are going to be off nights as well. They were bound to come down at some point.

For fans, this game could serve as a lesson in overreacting. It’s important that, in wins and in losses, no matter how big or small, we don’t get ahead of ourselves. The regular season lasts 82 games, after all, and a lot can change between the beginning and the end. So while this loss might sting, do keep in mind that it was just one game — as were the wins over the Lakers and Warriors.

That said, let’s dive into our takeaways from LA’s first loss of the season.

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