The Phoenix Suns set the tone early in a big win over a divisional opponent on Saturday night, taking down the Los Angeles Clippers 114-103. The team came out guns blazing early, taking a lead and holding
it for most of the night, as the Clippers stole it back only once. With the Suns seeing the Clippers for the second time in a row, both coaches made adjustments to try to outwit the opponent.
Luckily for Jordan Ott and company, they got the last laugh, securing this road victory, the first of the year and the first since March 10th of last season. This was something the Suns needed to push their momentum and show that they can hang with most teams in the West.
After getting blown out in their first appearance in the Intuit Dome in the second game of the year, the Suns bounced back emphatically to let the fans know they can handle this beast at home or on the road. In this victory, Devin Booker was the true leader, delivering a masterful performance. He registered 21 points with ten rebounds and nine assists, one shy of a triple-double. This would have been Booker’s second of his career and first in the regular season. After this performance, though, it is clear that it can still be attainable this season.
Top Performers
- Devin Booker – 21 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists 8/19 FG
- Mark Williams – 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals 7/9 FG
- Grayson Allen – 14 points, 3 rebounds 1 steal 4/7 3pt FG
- Ivica Zubac – 21 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists
- John Collins – 19 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Game Flow
First Half
The first quarter was a hot start for the Suns as it kicked off with a Grayson Allen three-pointer. We then saw Dillon Brooks and James Harden continue their beef from the first contest of the season, being scrappy with one another. At the same time, all this was going on. However, Devin Booker and the Suns were finding their rhythm offensively, sharing the ball, playing as a cohesive unit, and making multiple passes rather than stagnant isolation basketball.
All this beautiful basketball play was haunted, though, as Jalen Green, who just made his season debut last game, reaggravated his hamstring. This is the same injury that caused him to miss the start of the season, and it did not look good as he had to be helped off the court.
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For the Suns, though, they finished off the quarter strong, only allowing 1 three from the Clippers and out-rebounding them 10-5.
In the second, the Suns struggled to find the basket, taking almost three minutes to score. This allowed the Clippers to go on a run and get back into the game. The Suns and Clippers were making sloppy plays, leading to multiple turnovers for each team.
After all this chaos, though, the Suns prevailed and went on a little 8-0 run themselves. Collin Gillespie got hot in this quarter, making multiple threes and once again controlling the pace for this team while also making nice passes to his big men teammates.
The Suns closed out the half up 60-48, shooting 50% (7/14) from three in the quarter. They also limited the Clippers to zero threes and kept James Harden under control, restricting his scoring. Not only this, but the Suns still controlled the rebounding numbers 21-16, aiding their ability to generate second-chance points.
Second Half
The third quarter saw some questionable events for the Suns, but they prevailed. They came out hot offensively, but the Clippers did as well, with both teams getting runs early.
We saw the Mark Williams Devin Booker connection work here with some nice passes, but also saw Book pick up some questionable fouls.
He got two offensive fouls back to back, dove for a loose ball, got blocked, and then received a flopping tech on the other end on a late whistle. This led to frustration among Booker and Suns’ fans, respectively, and only fueled his hunger to take over.
In the third, the Clippers made it closer, shrinking the lead down to five, 85-80. This is where they got hot from three, making five out of eight attempts, where the Suns made zero—a complete reversal of the previous quarter. With the Suns controlling the rebounding numbers, they once again led (32-20).
Here in the fourth, Grayson Allen came up huge for the win. With Booker out at the start of the fourth quarter, Allen hit three big three-pointers to keep the offense in rhythm, though it also allowed a Clipper to get hot, with Nic Batum. He ended up hitting some big-time threes as well to keep the Clippers within arm’s reach down to the wire.
Only late did the Suns hit some big shots to seal the win. The Booker and one late followed by the Royce O’Neale and Dillon Brooks threes to seal it cemented the victory.
The Phoenix Suns won 114-103 and now sit at .500, looking to surprise many with some of their wins late.
Up Next
The Suns take on the New Orleans Pelicans at home in their next game, looking to continue this win streak into three.
