The Clippers can’t dwell too long on their loss to the Nuggets in their last game, as they have another very challenging road matchup tonight against the rival Suns.

Game Information

Where: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, Arizona

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Suns: Collin Gillespie – Grayson Allen – Royce O’Neale – Dillon Brooks – Mark Williams

Injuries

Clippers: Bogdan Bogdanovic Questionable (Hamstring), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Knee), Bradley Beal Out (Hip), Chris Paul Out (Not with team)

Suns: Devin Booker Out (Ankle)

The Big Picture

The Clippers’ good vibes took a hit on Friday night in an all-too-familiar loss to the Denver Nuggets. It was a classic Clippers-Nuggets matchup, with the Nuggets largely looking like the better team, getting shooting luck (Tim Hardaway Jr. went off while the Clippers missed a ton of open looks), and receiving some favorable calls. It all added up to a fairly resounding loss, but losing to the Nuggets on the road with Jokic and Murray in the lineup (the Nuggets are missing some other key players but so are the Clippers) is not a bad loss. The Clippers just need to get the Nuggets out of their brain and focus on their upcoming games, which aren’t walks in the park either.

The Antagonist

This Suns season is perhaps the most inexplicable I can remember in my 15+ years of being a diehard NBA fan. When you look at their roster, even factoring in excellent seasons from Dillon Brooks, Collin Gillespie, and Grayson Allen, you think of a competent, decent team. The Suns are far, far better than that, with a 30-19 record that has them tied for 5^th in the West and just a half-game out of 4^th. Not only that, but the Suns’ advanced stats would indicate they are just as legit as their record, with a 15^th rank on offense and 5^th on defense. Jordan Ott has proved to be an ace in his first coaching season and has to be the frontrunner for Coach of the Year. Brooks is a fringe All-Star this season, Mark Williams has been healthy, Gillespie has been a steal, and Allen, Royce O’Neale, and Jordan Goodwin have provided solid role player contributions. It must be said that the Suns have had excellent health: outside of Jalen Green (who stinks), the only one of their top players who has missed real time is Grayson Allen, who has still played in 32 games. The rest of their top nine players in minutes per game have all logged at least 41 (out of 49) games played. Still, it’s been an incredibly impressive season by the Suns, who play hard, play cohesively, and are tough as nails.

Notes

Match the Toughness: The Suns have punked a lot of teams this year, and while the Clippers have had good teams in the Kawhi Leonard era, they certainly have not always matched teams in toughness. They can’t let the Suns bully them with physicality. There’s not much in Xs and Os here: the Clippers have to stand their ground, be physical with the Suns, and demonstrate more energy than they did against the Nuggets, when they lost 80% of the 50-50 balls. The Clippers are old and slow so they generally don’t do well with those hustle plays, but they need to be better tonight.

John Collins Surging: The most underrated part of the Clippers’ move up the standings has been John Collins’ play. And, while there were some slip-ups on defense, Collins played quite well against the Nuggets, hitting his threes and detonating a couple of big dunks. The Suns generally play on the smaller side, so this is a matchup that Collins should be able to do some damage inside as a scorer and rebounder. It would be great to see him continue his strong play on the road against a division opponent.

Clippers vs Suns Preview: A Tough Divisional Matchup
Robert Flom

The Clippers got embarrassed by the Suns on Thursday night, but will be back home and with James Harden tonight, so hopefully the result is very different.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: ESPN, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Suns: Jalen Green – Devin Booker – Grayson Allen – Royce O’Neale – Mark Williams

Clippers: James Harden – Bradley Beal – Derrick Jones Jr. – Nic Batum – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Ankle), Jordan Miller Out (Hamstring), Kobe Sanders Out (Knee)

Suns: Dillon Brooks Questionable (Groin)

Notes

The Power Forward Starting Spot: We all love Nic Batum. He’s a beloved role player and is someone the coaching staff and everyone on the team trusts. Nico is still a positive defender, and even though the shots haven’t been falling so far this season, they will at some point. However, the Clippers just desperately need more juice, especially with Kawhi out. Collins has been a bit of a mixed bag, but he adds scoring, size, and athleticism that the Clippers could really use, and I think he should start with Kawhi out.

Get Zu Going: Among all of the players who have disappointed to start the season, perhaps the most puzzling is Ivica Zubac. His numbers are down across the board so far and his defense has also been significantly worse than it was last season. Zu is healthy, in his prime, and is the longest player on the team, so continuity is no excuse. It’s not like Zu has been awful, but when the Clippers had injuries or issues last year, Zu was always there to pick the team up on his back – and that has not been the case early this year. I’d love to see the Clippers feed Zu early, get him going, and push him to a dominant performance against a Suns team that should not be able to guard him inside.

Play with More Force: I think one of the main differences between this season and last season is that you don’t feel the Clippers on either end of the floor, and especially on defense. Last year’s Clippers squad had a toughness and a physicality that made them a difficult opponent almost every night. This year’s group has just not mustered that same approach even with a relatively similar roster. The Suns are not a big team, nor are they all that physical or athletic (even compared to the ancient Clippers). It would be great if the Clippers came out tonight and set a ton on the defensive end with pressure and real force instead of letting the game come to them.

Clippers vs Suns Preview: Let’s Try That Again
Robert Flom

The Clippers have lost two games in a row and now face a feisty Suns team without their two star players, as both Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are out tonight.

Game Information

Where: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ

When: 6:00 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Chris Paul – Bradley Beal – Derrick Jones Jr. – John Collins – Ivica Zubac

Heat: Jalen Green – Devin Booker – Ryan Dunn – Dillon Brooks – Mark Williams

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Ankle), James Harden Out (Personal), Jordan Miller Out (Hamstring), Kobe Sanders Out (Knee)

Suns: Jalen Green Questionable (Hamstring), Dillon Brooks Questionable (Groin)

The Big Picture

Well, things seem a whole lot bleaker now than what I wrote the last game preview three days ago. The Clippers have dropped their last two games, with a brutal loss to the Heat on Monday and a blowout at the hands of the Thunder on Tuesday. Combine those defeats with Kawhi Leonard’s turned ankle against the Heat and subsequent absence Tuesday and tonight and you have a grim mood. Add on top of that Harden being out tonight for personal reasons (hopefully positive, like birth of a child or something) and its even worse. Even though the Suns aren’t very good, it’s tough to see the Clippers beating almost anyone without both Kawhi and Harden. The hope will be that their absences will not stretch long, and they can return for the home game against Phoenix on Saturday.

The Antagonist

The Suns have not been awful to start the season. They’re 3-5 and have been competitive in most of their games. They’re slightly better on offense (22^nd in the NBA) compared to defense (24^th), but not really good at anything. Still, they have Devin Booker and relatively competent veterans around him, and that’s enough to not be awful. Against a Clippers’ team without Kawhi and Harden, and playing at home, they should be favorites to win. Most importantly for the Clippers, the Suns have generally played hard all year, and that’s something the Clippers have not shown as consistently.

Notes

Beal Boos: This will be Bradley Beal’s first game in Phoenix since the Suns waived him this summer, and I think we can expect a lot of boos for Beal, who did not have a very positive tenure in Phoenix. Hopefully Beal can take those boos as inspiration, as he will be the Clippers’ best perimeter creator in this one and will probably be asked to do a lot of scoring and playmaking. Even though the Clippers will miss Harden and Kawhi very badly, a possible silver lining is the increased reps for Beal, Chris Paul, and Bogi could theoretically get those guys going – something the Clips need in the worst way if they are to do anything this year.

Defense Bad: After boasting a top-five defense just about all of last season and winning most of their games on the defensive end, the Clippers have been shockingly shoddy on that side of the ball this year. The Clips rank 26^th in defensive rating through seven games (not a large sample size, but not tiny either) ahead of such teams as the Kings, Pelicans, Nets, and Wizards. The eye test backs up the numbers: the Clippers look slow, not forceful, and discombobulated. As good as Kris Dunn is on defense, the difference between starting him and not starting him should not be the difference between the 3^rd and 26^th defense. The Clippers need to get it together on that end, or this season will not turn out as we all predicted.  

Turnovers also Bad: The Clippers rank dead last in the NBA in turnover percentage, turning the ball over an astonishing 18.4% of their possessions. The next lowest is the Utah Jazz at 17.4%, and after that is Houston at 16.9%. The Clippers have added in a bunch of new pieces and are dealing with some injuries, but that level of giving the ball away is simply inexcusable for a team with this many seasoned vets. Just be less careless!

Clippers vs Suns Preview: No Kawhi or Harden
Robert Flom

Hello all. I am getting married on Sunday and thus will not be focused on Clippers basketball this weekend. Here’s a quick game thread for tonight’s game, and I will probably have something similar up for Sunday’s game. Hopefully the Clippers don’t have two more embarrassments.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, KEIB 1170

Projected Starting Lineups

Suns: Devin Booker – Grayson Allen – Dillon Brooks – Ryan Dunn – Oso Ighodaro

Clippers: James Harden – Bradley Beal – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Suns: Jalen Green Out (Hamstring)

Clippers: Jordan Miller Out (Hamstring)

I’m not sure how the Clippers could possibly be worse than they were in the season opener against the Jazz. Win or lose, hopefully this is a much better effort than that disaster.

Clippers vs Suns Game Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers close out their mega seven-game road trip with a visit to Phoenix to take on the struggling Suns.

Game Information

Where: PHX Arena, Phoenix, Arizona

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: TNT

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Amir Coffey – Kris Dunn – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Suns: Bradley Beal – Devin Booker – Kevin Durant – Bol Bol – Nick Richards

Injuries

Clippers: Norm Powell Out (Hamstring), Derrick Jones Jr. Out (Groin), Ben Simmons Out (Knee), Trentyn Flowers Out (G-League), Patrick Baldwin Jr. Out (G-League), Seth Lundy Out (G-League)

Suns: Bradley Beal Questionable (Calf), Cody Martin Out (Sports Hernia)

The Big Picture

Things have gotten ugly in a hurry for the Clippers, who are staggering out of the All Star Break and accumulating injuries left and right. Norm Powell returned from a knee injury and was almost immediately stricken with a hamstring ailment, which will almost certainly keep him out a couple of games. Derrick Jones Jr. was suddenly ruled out with a groin, and has missed two consecutive games, as has Ben Simmons with a knee injury. Add that all together with a visibly gassed James Harden, a slumping Amir Coffey, and an ice cold Bogdan Bogdanovic and you have a team that is just not very good right now. There’s still time for the Clippers to get healthy and to turn things around, but they are slipping fast in the Western Conference and have not played consistently strong basketball in a while.

The Antagonist

The Suns are the only team in the extended Western Conference postseason race doing worse than the Clippers right now, as they are mired in a 2-8 stretch and can’t seem to get any positive momentum at all. Unlike the Clippers, the Suns’ issues are less about injuries (Bradley Beal is the only key player to have missed time recently) and more about cohesion, effort, and roster construction. Kevin Durant is having a magnificent season for his age, but Beal has continued to look more like “decent starter” than the star the Suns thought they were getting, and Booker is having a down year by his standards. Nick Richards has helped a bit at center, but not enough, and Bol Bol is now in the starting lineup in a desperate attempt to add some juice. It’s a bad time for the Suns, who are not totally out of the postseason race (they would just be 3.5 games back of the Clippers if they won this game) but seem very unlikely to make the playoffs proper despite having the largest payroll in the league. Brutal.

Notes

Can Kawhi Continue to Build: Kawhi Leonard had by far his best offensive game of the season so far on Sunday night, scoring 33 points against a stout Lakers defense on 13-23 shooting with 3-7 from three and 4-5 from the line. More importantly, Kawhi played 40 minutes, his most of the season, showing that his minutes restriction is in the rearview mirror. The defense has yet to catch up to the offense, and the relative lack of free throws is a bit concerning, but that game was a big step in the right direction. The next step is continuing to build on that game and hopefully putting up those kinds of performances more regularly.

Feed Zu: I will continue to write it until the Clippers do it. The Clippers go away from Ivica Zubac in the post far, far too frequently for a team that struggles so heavily with consistent scoring. Zu is not a dominant force on offense – he doesn’t have a deep bag of post moves, and is not the greatest passer – but he is bigger and stronger than most opposing big men and his hook shot is money from seven feet or so and in. When the Clippers are in one of their seemingly endless scoring droughts, going to the big fella in the post should be the first or second option, not last.

The Deep Bench Options: The Clippers are missing three rotation players today, which means that at least one of the Clippers’ deeper bench guys will get some rotation minutes in this game, possibly two. On Sunday, both Jordan Miller and Kobe Brown got short stints in the first half; neither was impressive. Either of those guys could be Ty Lue’s call-up in this one, or it could be veteran Patty Mills. Based just on what players are out for the Clippers, Miller probably makes the most sense as a replacement in terms of skillset, but we will see. Hopefully whoever the 9^th and 10^th guys are, they can contribute in some way.

Clippers vs Suns Preview: Two Slumping Teams Collide
Robert Flom

The Clippers will be starting a semi-lengthy road trip with a visit to the division rival Phoenix Suns.

Game Information

Where: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona

When: 6:30 PM PT

How to Watch: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Ivica Zubac

Suns: Tyus Jones – Devin Booker – Bradley Beal – Kevin Durant – Nick Richards

Injuries

Clippers: Kris Dunn Out (Knee), Jordan Miller Out (Illness), Cam Christie Out (Ankle), Kai Jones Out (G-League), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team)

Suns: Ryan Dunn Out (Ankle), TyTy Washington Out (G-League), Jalen Bridges Out (G-League)

The Big Picture

The Clippers got one of their best wins of the season Saturday night at home against the Bucks. James Harden had one of his finest performances as a Clipper, Norm Powell exploded in the second half, Ivica Zubac did yeoman’s work all game, Kawhi Leonard had flashes of dominance, and the rest of the team chipped in with the little things. The defense wasn’t amazing, but it was solid, and the offense was as good as we’ve seen it for most of this season, largely because of Harden and Norm. The Clippers wrapped up an overall successful homestand, and now head out on the road, where they have been much less effective. With the Clips mostly healthy outside of Kris Dunn (whose injury does not appear serious), now would be a great time to see winning translate outside of the Intuit Dome.

The Antagonist

The Suns have turned things around in the past few weeks, rising from 12^th to 8^th in the West and putting them within striking distance of a top-six seed. The Suns’ resurgence is due to a few factors. First, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker have been able to get and stay healthy. Second, the Suns’ trade for Nick Richards has paid immediate dividends in bolstering their center rotation. Lastly, and relatedly, the Suns have exiled Jusuf Nurkic from the rotation and limited Mason Plumlee to minimal minutes. The Suns are still not great – most indicators have them as being just a decent team – but they are at least competent now. On any given night, they are quite dangerous due to the sheer firepower of Durant and Booker, but they are also still weak defensively on the perimeter and in minutes Richards is not playing. If they can make any other moves to bolster their rotation (not even Jimmy Butler, but just better-fitting role players) they could make some noise, but for right now they are still on the fringes.

Notes

Big Game: While the Lakers game last week remains the most important game of the season to this point, this Suns game is not far behind. The Clippers have already fallen twice to the Suns, so if they lose this one they will definitively have lost the season series, which is important for tiebreaker purposes. The Suns are also a division (and obviously conference) opponent, both of which have further tiebreaker importance. But, most of all, the Suns are somewhat surprisingly just two losses back of the Clippers, and if they win this one, will be just 1.5 games back of the Clippers despite the narratives about the Clippers have a great season and the Suns a terrible one. It’s a very important contest for both teams, so I’d expect heavy minutes for key players and high levels of energy and effort. Hopefully it’s a good game.

Attacking the Suns: The Suns are a pretty good offensive team (11^th) but are quite bad on defense (23^rd); they have the worst defense of any NBA team with a record above .500. The Suns are middling on the defensive glass (16^th), don’t force turnovers (22^nd in steals), and allow a lot of points off turnovers (8^th). The Clippers should be able to generate points relatively easily against the Suns, even with the Richards upgrade at the center spot. While Richards is a capable-enough big man, Ivica Zubac is still much better on both ends, and the Clippers should be able to go through Zu, both in the post and pick and roll, to great effect. If need be, getting Harden switches onto Phoenix’s lesser point of attack defenders – Tyus Jones, Grayson Allen, and Monte Morris – should also result in easy looks. As always, the Clippers can’t settle for ISO-ball and jumpers, as that plays right into the Suns’ hands. Keep attacking, and free throws and open looks should result.

Clippers vs Suns Preview: Another Big Game
Robert Flom

The Clippers are coming off a brutal loss last night to the youthful Blazers, and now have to turn around and play a back to back against the 3-1 Suns, who beat them on opening night a week ago.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Bally Sports SoCal, NBA TV

Projected Starting Lineups

Suns: Tyus Jones – Bradley Beal – Devin Booker – Kevin Durant – Jusuf Nurkic

Clippers: James Harden – Norman Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Terance Mann – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Suns: Bradley Beal Questionable (Elbow), Josh Okogie Out (Hamstring)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Mo Bamba Out (Knee), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team)

Notes

Rest Advantage, Suns: The Suns haven’t played since Monday, and didn’t have far to travel since they were home that game. They should be very well rested and prepped for this game. The Clippers, by contrast, played just last night in a close-fought contest where their key players all played big minutes. Sometimes rested teams come out a little sloppy, so hopefully the Clippers can jump on the Suns early and build a lead. It will be hard for them to make a big push later in the game with their tired legs.

Getting Harden Going: While James Harden has been excellent as a playmaker thus far this season, he’s been incredibly inefficient as a scorer. He does have the burden of being the primary offensive threat, so teams lead up heavily on him, but still, I’d really like to see the Clippers try to get him some easier looks to get him in a better scoring rhythm. If the Clippers are going to surprise this year, they’ll need more than playmaker Harden – they’ll need some 30-point scoring Harden games as well.

Clippers vs. Suns Game Thread: Getting Back on Track
Robert Flom

The Clippers will kick off the 2024-2025 season with a home game at the brand new Intuit Dome against the division rival Phoenix Suns.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: ESPN, FanDuel Sports SoCal

Projected Starting Lineups

Suns: Tyus Jones – Bradley Beal – Devin Booker – Kevin Durant – Jusuf Nurkic

Clippers: James Harden – Norm Powell – Derrick Jones Jr. – Terance Mann – Ivica Zubac

Injuries

Suns: Josh Okogie Out (Hamstring), Damion Lee Probable (Knee), Grayson Allen Probable (Ankle)

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Mo Bamba Out (Knee), PJ Tucker Out (Away from team)

The Big Picture

The Clippers will open the long-awaited Intuit Dome without Kawhi Leonard or Paul George in uniform, a circumstance that would have seemed wild even a year ago. There are plenty of familiar faces – Ivica Zubac, Terance Mann, and Norm Powell in the starting unit alone – but also some new ones, especially in the bench unit. Also different are the expectations for the team, which for the first time in the Kawhi era are not at a championship level. The wins over/under line for this team is around 37, and most NBA pundits are taking the under with Kawhi’s health in question. It will be up to this team, filled with scrappy, defense-first underdogs, to prove the media and NBA fans writ large wrong.

The Antagonist

The Suns, conversely, are coming into the season on a wave of optimism despite an immensely disappointing 2024 campaign. The Suns are running back much of the same top seven, but have added two caretaker point guards in Tyus Jones and Monte Morris, two promising rookies in Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, and a coach in Mike Budenholzer who will push their offense to shoot more threes. The Suns are also, despite being old and rather injury-prone as a group, fairly healthy to start the year, which is good tidings for a team that immediately lost key players last season. The Suns are going to be built as a high-powered offense that should have a relatively high regular season floor, the question is whether they can get enough size, defense, and rebounding on the court to win when it matters.

Notes

Ty Lue’s Rotation: We know who the starters are going to be, and we almost certainly know the first five guys off the bench – Kris Dunn, Kevin Porter Jr., Amir Coffey, Nic Batum, and Kai Jones. What we don’t know is how Ty Lue will handle the ebb and flow of rotations. Will he stagger Harden and Powell to have one of them on offense at all times? Will there be a full bench mob? Is Zu going to get time with the bench as a safety valve on offense? How many minutes will Harden play? And so on and so forth. Lots of things will change over the course of the season, but opening night sets the tone, and it will be interesting to see what the Clippers do for their minutes and sub patterns.

Defense-First: The Clippers have talked all offseason about defense. They brought in players – Derrick Jones Jr., Dunn, and Nic Batum – who are defense focused. They hired the defensive-minded Jeff Van Gundy as Lue’s lead assistant and defensive coordinator. They looked great on defense in preseason. But now the game matter, and all the talk and reputations will be put to the test. The Clippers certainly have the personnel to be a strong defense, but with how this team is shaped with Kawhi Leonard out, strong is not enough. This team needs to win on defense. They need to force turnovers to get out in transition and get easy buckets. They need to gang rebound due to their lack of size and shaky backup big men. And they need to make consistent, multiple efforts to get stops in a way previous Clippers’ teams haven’t always done. Let’s see it against a Suns team that, however flawed, should be excellent on offense.

Clippers vs Suns Preview: 2025 Season Opener
Robert Flom

The LA Clippers dropped a game at home, 122-108 to the visiting Phoenix Suns. But it was the effort from the reserves that was the story of the night.

Summary

With the Clippers having essentially locked up a 4/5 finish after their dominating win in Phoenix, the rematch against the Suns on the second night of a back to back seemed to be the one they’d use as an opportunity to get guys some rest.

Sure enough, prior to the game it was announced that all of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, Ivica Zubac, Russell Westbrook, and Norman Powell would sit out.

That meant primetime duty for the likes of Bones Hyland and Brandon Boston Jr. The Suns trotted out their full lineup with Jusuf Nurkic back after missing the last game.

And for about three and half quarters, the Clippers not only kept up with the Suns A-team, but actually had a lead. The Suns got serious though at last and that was all she wrote. But even so, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was pleased with the opportunity for some of the younger guys to get meaningful minutes.

“It was good to see Bones and Brandon get an opportunity to play and play at a high level for the most part,” Lue said after the game. “They competed, they scrapped, they played hard and had a chance. . .overall I thought they did a good job.”

It was Hyland’s offensive explosion along with Boston in a supporting role that helped power the Clippers to a halftime lead. They also led heading into the fourth quarter. Hyland gave the Clippers the lead at the half as he drilled a three-pointer before the buzzer.

It was his first set of meaningful minutes since a brief stretch in mid-March that included his 17-point, 11-assist game in a blowout win over the Chicago Bulls on the road.

Hyland finished with 37 points, four rebounds, nine assists and three steals in 43 minutes of play. He attempted to reach the 40-point mark for the first time in his career late in the fourth quarter, but the Suns were determined not to let that happen.

After the game, Hyland joked that he hadn’t seen defense like that against him with three guys jumping at him at the three-point line since he was in high school.

“When I seen all three of them, I’m like, ‘oh they’re definitely not trying to let me get 40,'” Hyland said. “Just playing free, just playing my game, going out there trying to win the game. My teammates just told me just go out there and be Bizzy. That’s just what I do, go out there and play freely.”

Boston was also given the opportunity to contribute in a big way, and for the most part he came through when called upon. There was a slight mistake late in the fourth quarter when he fouled Devin Booker shooting a three-point shot. That play ended being a catalyst for the Suns to surge ahead and grab the win.

But Boston also showed a level of comfort in playing on and off ball. He was able to consistently create his own offense in the halfcourt as well as move without the ball and act as a spot up shooting threat.

Boston finished with 23 points in what was his first real shot at meaningful action. He suffered a quad injury during training camp that kind of set him back all season, but he credited his time in the G League this season for helping him stay ready, get live game reps and be prepared for a moment like this.

“I love playing down there with those guys. Paul Hewitt, he’s a great coach, he’s never gonna take no BS so he’s gonna be on you,” Boston said. “Just keeping my confidence and my wind and my endurance up, I feel like it’s good for players that aren’t playing.”

Clippers vs. Suns Game Recap: Impressive effort from deep bench
David Yapkowitz

The Clippers take on the Suns yet again in a rematch of last night’s game.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervision, Bally Sports SoCal

Tickets: For great deals on Clippers tickets, check out Barry’s Tickets!

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Russell Westbrook – Norman Powell – Terance Mann – Paul George – Ivica Zubac

Suns: Devin Booker – Bradley Beal – Grayson Allen – Kevin Durant – Drew Eubanks

Injury Report

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard questionable (knee), James Harden questionable (toe), Joshua Primo questionable (ankle).

Suns: Jusuf Nurkic day to day (ankle), Damion Lee out (knee).

The Big Picture

The Clippers are coming off their most impressive win of the season. Down two starters in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, the Clippers went into Phoenix and dominated the Suns.

This team has won seven of their last eight games and seem to be trending in the right direction with the playoffs looming right around the corner.

Speaking of playoffs, with the win the Clippers clinched no worse than the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Which means they still have something to play for with three regular season games remaining.

They almost assuredly want to hold on to the fourth seed and homecourt advantage in the first round against what likely will be a familiar opponent in the Dallas Mavericks.

And they might have to end the regular season short-handed. There’s no word yet on the status of Leonard and Harden for this rematch against the Suns. But even if one or both do not play, the Clippers already have the blueprint to beat this team.

The Antagonist

The Phoenix Suns come to town having been embarrassed on their home floor. They will definitely be looking to wipe the taste of that loss away.

They also want to avoid the play-in and make the playoffs outright. They currently trail the New Orleans Pelicans by a single game for the sixth seed.

Devin Booker was held to only 1-11 shooting from the field and Kevin Durant was only 8-22. The Clippers shouldn’t expect either to shoot poorly again.

The Suns have quite a bit to play for. They’re going to come into this game focused and ready to roll. Even with the possibility that Jusuf Nurkic remains out, they have the firepower to win. The Clippers shouldn’t expect a repeat of Tuesday at all.

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Clippers vs. Suns Game Preview: Quick Rematch
David Yapkowitz