NBA Top Five Performances, Feb. 16: Paul George’s 26 Points Helped Los Angeles Clippers Defeat the Phoenix Suns

The Clippers win in the final game before the All-Star break.

TOP PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George recently said, “Winning a championship with the Clippers 100 percent will outweigh a championship being with the Lakers.”

Paul George wants to win a title for the Clippers. pic.twitter.com/8u1XMFgEjk

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 16, 2023

If the Clippers keep playing like they did Thursday night, those aspirations may come true. George, who will participate in his eighth All-Star Game this weekend, had 26 points, six rebounds and five assists against the Phoenix Suns. George had 10 fourth-quarter points, displaying why he will head to Salt Lake City. Los Angeles enters the All-Star break in fourth place of the Western Conference, one game behind the Sacramento Kings.

OTHERS

- In the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez had 33 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in the Milwaukee Bucks’ win over the Chicago Bulls.

- Bradley Beal’s 35 points helped the Washington Wizards come back from a 20-point hole against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“Probably this is the best game for me this season so far,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “Because of how we showed our heart, we stayed in the game, we kept playing. Some guys were already like checked out a little bit. We locked back in and we pulled it out of somewhere.”

This victory marked the team’s 10th in the last 14 games, with Washington holding on to 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

- Despite the loss to the Wizards, Anthony Edwards had a solid 34-point performance to go along with five rebounds and three steals.

- Clippers shooting guard Terrace Mann also had 26 points in the win over Phoenix, nearly topping his season high. Mann is having his highest-scoring month of the season.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.