LOS ANGELES – This wasn’t the Suns team the Clippers lost to back in November.
Three months later, four of the five starters from that Phoenix squad are either hurt or gone. So, too, is the head coach of that team, which started promisingly out of the gate with a 6-4 record before losing 38 of their next 46 games entering Monday night, when the Clippers only added to the Suns’ struggles.
Next Game: 2/24
Unlike the Clippers’ recent challenges, after playing the West’s top two teams coming out of the All-Star break, the test Monday was to look past the standings and just take care of business. That wasn’t a problem in a 124-84 blowout win, marking the Clippers’ (38-19) largest margin of victory this season.
The Clippers jumped out to a 36-17 lead after the first quarter, and when the Suns cut the lead down to four courtesy of a 16-1 run against the backups early in the second, the starters quickly helped to increase the lead back to 17 by halftime. From there, the outcome was clear.
All game, Phoenix didn’t know how to attack DeAndre Jordan, who had four blocks to go with 17 points and 11 rebounds. J.J. Redick had 22 points and Chris Paul added 16 points and 14 assists. All three of them finished at least plus-31 apiece on the night, despite all three playing fewer than 28 minutes apiece.
After outscoring the Suns, 31-19, in the third quarter, the Clippers cruised the rest of the way, turning much of the second half into a highlight show before the backups finished the job. That allowed Alex Stepheson, who made his NBA debut last game against the Warriors, to score his first NBA points in the fourth quarter. Jeff Green added 18 points off the bench in his second game as a Clipper.
