Rowan Kavner
Score: PHX 118 – LAC 104
Synopsis: In a game without Chris Paul (groin) or J.J. Redick (back spasms), Blake Griffin and the Clippers still trailed by only a point with 2:36 left in the first half.
Then Griffin joined Paul and Redick as spectators.
Griffin received his second technical foul of the night after going up for a shot and not getting a call in the second quarter, and if the injuries weren’t enough, the already uphill battle against the Suns (4-4) got considerably steeper for the Clippers (5-4).
A 49-48 deficit late in the first half became a 93-73 deficit after three quarters. The Suns went on a 9-1 run to close the first half following Griffin’s ejection, and that turned into a 27-11 run including the start of the third quarter.
The Clippers were already forced to play with a starting five that hadn’t logged a single minute together as a five-man lineup all season, and had to resort to a variety of new lineup combinations to try to overcome the losses, but they had trouble with the Suns’ dynamic backcourt.
Next Game: 11/14
Griffin was 5-of-10 from the floor with 11 points prior to his ejection, marking his first game with fewer than 21 points this season. Jamal Crawford led the Clippers with 18 points, but the Clippers couldn’t stop a Suns group which shot 53 percent from the floor from the floor.
Key Moment: No doubt about this one. It was very much a game until Griffin’s second technical. His loss was too much for the Clippers to overcome. Early in the night, Griffin and Mirza Teletovic were whistled for double technical after chirping with each other. That turned out to be costly with the second technical coming soon after, as Griffin felt he was fouled, didn’t get the call, and the referees took exception to the aftermath.
Clippers Star Performance: Wesley Johnson – It was a tough night across the board for the Clippers, but Johnson and Crawford were the primary scorers off the bench, as Johnson finished plus-5 for the night and had 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting while also contributing three rebounds and a steal.
Suns Star Performance: Brandon Knight/Eric Bledsoe – When talking about the Suns’ backcourt, it’s hard to mention one without the other. That was the case again. Brandon Knight scored a season-high 37 points. Together, the two guards combined for 63 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists.
X-Factor: T.J. Warren – There was a stretch when the game got out of hand in the third quarter completely sparked by Warren, who caught fire scoring seven straight points for the Suns. A 12-point Phoenix lead suddenly became an 18-point deficit, and Warren finished with 18 points off the bench.
NOTES: The Clippers snapped a streak of eight consecutive wins against the Suns … The Clippers lost four of their last five games … The loss was the Clippers’ largest margin of defeat this season … With Paul and Redick out, Doc Rivers inserted Pablo Prigioni and Austin Rivers into the starting lineup … The starting five of Prigioni, Rivers, Griffin, Lance Stephenson and DeAndre Jordan had never played together as a five-man group all season …
