The Los Angeles Clippers got their revenge against the Phoenix Suns in dominant fashion on Monday night, blowing out the Suns 138-111 at Crypto.com Arena. It was the second straight easy win for the Clippers over the Suns after beating them by 9 points just 5 days ago.
George and Leonard Lead the Way for Clippers
Paul George was the star of the show, pouring in 33 points on 12-19 shooting along with 7 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard was right behind him with 30 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. The duo combined for a staggering 63 points to lead the Clippers to the blowout victory.
As coach Tyronn Lue noted after the game:
“Our guys were ready to play tonight after letting one slip away against Memphis last game. But PG and Kawhi set the tone early and had that look in their eyes that they weren’t going to let this one get away.”
The Clippers also got a big boost from center Ivica Zubac, who dominated in the paint on his way to 14 points and 15 rebounds. Reggie Jackson chipped in 17 points as the Clippers starters accounted for 104 of the teams’ 138 points.
Slow Start Dooms Suns in Rematch
On the other side, the Suns looked out of sync early after playing on Sunday, missing their first seven shots. Phoenix quickly fell into a double digit hole as George scored 14 points in the first quarter to stake the Clippers to a 37-24 lead after one.
Kevin Durant led the Suns with 19 points but only shot 5-17 from the field as he struggled to find his rhythm. Chris Paul shot just 3-11, clearly showing signs of fatigue on the second night of a back-to-back. Devin Booker added 18 points but it wasn’t nearly enough.
As DeAndre Ayton summed up after the loss:
“We came out flat and they jumped all over us right away at home. By the time we woke up it was too late. No excuses though, we need to be better to start games, especially in back-to-backs.”
What’s Next
The Clippers and Suns don’t meet again in the regular season, so Phoenix will have to stew over this loss until next year.
Los Angeles now sits at 23-17, just 1.5 games behind the Suns for 3rd place in the West. With Leonard and George both healthy and firing on all cylinders now alongside trade addition James Harden, the Clippers look primed to rise even further up the standings in the second half.
Meanwhile, the Suns will try to bounce back on Wednesday night against the Spurs as they continue their 6-game road trip. At 24-16, Phoenix is still firmly in the mix near the top of the loaded Western Conference but needs their stars to perform better in these statement games against fellow contenders.
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suns | 24 | 35 | 29 | 23 | 111 |
| Clippers | 37 | 28 | 41 | 32 | 138 |
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https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10104209-paul-george-james-harden-impress-nba-fans-as-clippers-beat-kevin-durant-suns
https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10104209-paul-george-james-harden-impress-nba-fans-as-clippers-beat-kevin-durant-suns.amp.html
https://www.si.com/nba/clippers/news/la-clippers-vs-phoenix-suns-updated-injury-report
https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401585139
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