Suns Continue Hot Streak with Close Win over Clippers

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (24-21) have now won three straight and nine of their last 12 after picking up a 111-109 home victory over the Los Angeles Clippers (26-20) Monday night.

Phoenix tied a season high in 3-pointers in the game with 22, shooting 46.8% from deep.

With Ryan Dunn (ankle) out, Phoenix ran an eight-man rotation and got major contributions from everyone who playerd. Tyus Jones (17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), Devin Booker (26 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds), Royce O'Neale (11 points, 4 steals), Kevin Durant (24 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals) and Nick Richards (6 points, 7 rebounds) started, while Bradley Beal (9 points, 4 assists, +10), Grayson Allen (18 points, 6 rebounds, +12) and Mason Plumlee (0 points, 6 rebounds, +22) came off the bench.

The Clippers made a valiant comeback effort, cutting what was once a 13-point Phoenix lead with five minutes to go down to as little as one with under a minute remaining. All five L.A. starters were in double figures with Ivica Zubac (25 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists), James Harden (24 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds) and Norman Powell (23 points, 5 rebounds) leading the way.

Quick Recap

Both teams came out of the gates hot with the Suns leading 34-30 at the end of the first quarter behind 8-of-11 (72.7%) 3-point shooting. Durant had 10 points, while Jones was a perfect 3-for-3 from deep for nine points. The Clippers went 12-for-22 (54.4%) from the floor and 4-for-7 (57.1%) from 3 with Derrick Jones Jr. pacing them with nine points in the quarter.

The Suns ended the first half tying their season high for 3-pointers in one half with 14 (25 attempts) and were up 60-47. Booker (13 points), Durant (12 points) and Allen (11 points) were all in double figures, while Jones and O'Neale scored nine apiece. Zubac had a team-high 12 points for the Clippers, who went 0-for-8 from 3 in the second quarter.

Los Angeles began the third quarter on a 20-6 run to come all the way back and take a one-point lead with 5:29 left in the quarter. The Suns then responded well and went back in front going into the fourth with a 83-78 advantage. L.A. grabbed six offensive rebounds in the quarter, and the Suns had six turnovers (had 17 for the game).

The Suns were able to keep their distance to start the fourth, and a big 10-2 run midway through the period helped them build a 13-point lead with under five minutes to go. Los Angeles then responded with a 16-4 run, and a Norman Powell runner cut the lead to only one with 40.4 seconds left. Beal was then fouled on a drive to the basket with 29.6 seconds and made both free throws. Powell next was fouled and hit one of two free throws, then Allen cashed in two free throws to make it a four-point game with 10 seconds remaining. Zubac made a dunk with just over a second left, then Allen was fouled again and missed both, the second on purpose with the Clippers having no timeouts left. Powell grabbed the rebound and airballed a full-court heave.

Next Up

The Suns conclude their three-game homestand on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.