The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Phoenix Suns 116-98 at Staples Center on Monday.
The Clippers (4-0) rallied behind their core four starters in Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and JJ Reddick in the blowout win over the Suns. The two teams battled it out through three quarters, and Phoenix was able to keep the game within striking distance towards the end of the fourth quarter, but the Clippers started to pull away through effective pick-and-roll play and Jamal Crawford’s bench performances.
Crawford aided the starters after making back-to-back baskets early in the final period, and then added a trip to the free throw line, which put the Clippers up by 17 points with 7:50 left to play. Crawford finished with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting in 27 minutes. The aforementioned core four starters all finished in double figures, led by Paul’s 24 points, eight assists and five rebounds, while Griffin totalled 21 points, five assists and 11 rebounds.
The Suns (0-4) fail to grab their first win of the season, but got a solid performance from Brandon Knight and hung with one of the Western Conference’s most complete teams through three quarters. Knight scored 18 points, but did not add any assists or rebounds, while Eric Bledsoe rounded out the box score with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Devin Booker was ruled out for the game as he nursed a sprained right big toe.
Next up, the Suns host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, while the Clippers stay at home the same day to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
