Clippers beat Suns in playoff rematch of short-handed squads

LOS ANGELES — Sure, the Phoenix Suns person won 20 of their past 22 games. But they’re 2-2 successful their past 4 – with caller losses to the Golden State Warriors and, connected Monday, a 111-95 decision against an ever-game Clippers contingent.

In their archetypal gathering since Phoenix closed retired the Western Conference finals with a 130-103 Game 6 triumph implicit a drained Clippers squad successful June, Tyronn Lue’s undermanned squad looked similar the streaking squad, controlling the contention the full way.

They did truthful with impactful performances up and down the lineup, the starters and reserves some – nary of them much consequential than the effort from Marcus Morris.

Against his erstwhile team, the Clippers’ Morris duplicate was aggressive, businesslike and needfully creative. He finished with a season-high 24 points. He pulled down 11 rebounds and changeable 10 for 16 overall, including draining a turnaround 19-footer precocious successful the changeable clock, efficaciously a cherry connected the triumph arsenic it enactment the Clippers (16-12) up 100-79 with 4:37 left.

The Suns came successful having won 20 of 21 games and 2 successful a enactment since Golden State interrupted their 18-game winning streak.

The Clippers, however, had a three-game winning spurt to their recognition – and had not mislaid to the Suns successful a regular-season location crippled since 2013.

On Monday, some teams were pursuing the league-wide trend, making owed arsenic champion they could without their afloat complement of players.

“Everybody’s dealing with it, I saw Chicago had similar 9 guys the different nighttime and teams are dealing,” Suns manager Monty Williams said. “This is the clip of the twelvemonth that you would typically spot this atmosphere, but past you adhd COVID to it and it’s a spot much of an accommodation but we’ve conscionable got to fig it retired arsenic we spell along.”

On Monday earlier 17,909 fans astatine Staples Center, the Suns were forced to fig it retired without All-Star defender Devin Booker (hamstring), young halfway Deandre Ayton (non-COVID illness) and young guardant Jalen Smith (non-COVID illness).

Their hosts weren’t precisely successful amended shape; the Clippers were without All-Stars Kawhi Leonard (ACL) and Paul George (elbow) and versatile guardant Nicolas Batum (ankle).

And yet, the Clippers opened with possibly their astir encouraging fractional of the play successful their champion triumph of the play truthful far.

That archetypal 24 minutes included inspired – and yet contagious – defense, which held the Suns to conscionable 44 points connected 42.6% shooting (20 for 47), including conscionable 3 for 14 from down the arc. And the Clippers did it without fouling, limiting Phoenix to conscionable 2 escaped throws (of which Chris Paul made one).

The hosts had a amended clip of it connected the violative extremity to start, shooting 50% (18 for 36) and 7 for 12 (58.3%) from down the arc. And they succeeded astatine drafting fouls themselves, shooting 13 for 18 astatine the enactment – fundamentally reaching their season-average (18.2) by halftime.

Individually, 3 Clippers scored successful treble figures earlier intermission; Reggie Jackson had 13, Luke Kennard had 11 and Morris had 10.

Things were going truthful good for the Clippers from the leap that Lue adjacent won a coach’s situation successful the 2nd quarter, turning an violative foul connected Jackson into a foul connected Ish Wainright, erasing what would person been Jackson’s 3rd foul and giving him 2 escaped throws – which extended the Clippers’ pb to 56-41.

The Clippers’ first-half vigor waned immoderate arsenic the free-throw discrepancy evened out, with the Suns going 12 for 13 astatine the enactment successful the 3rd 4th – portion the Clippers were conscionable 1 for 2

The Clippers led by arsenic galore arsenic 17 points (they were up ​​66-49 with 7:31 near successful the third. But the Suns aren’t a squad that’s going to acceptable without making immoderate benignant of surge.

Wainwright’s putback slam with 11:38 to spell successful the 4th fourth pulled Phoenix wrong 79-71 – to which the Clippers responded with six speedy points, to propulsion backmost up 85-71.

But with 6:35 left, a mates of speedy Cameron Payne layups made it 94-77, aft which the Clippers had different effect – fending disconnected Phoenix down the stretch.

The Clippers changeable 55.1% (43 for 78) from the field. Jackson finished with 19 points, Terance Mann had 17 points and 9 rebounds, and Kennard added 16 points and season-high 9 rebounds.

Off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein finished with 12 points and a team-high 7 assists and Eric Bledsoe had 10 points.

Paul finished with 9 points connected 4-for-14 shooting for the Suns and Cam Johnson paced Phoenix (21-5) disconnected the bench, with 17 points.

More to travel connected this story.