Depleted Clippers Fade After Halftime in Loss to Suns
The Los Angeles Clippers were missing stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden but started strong, holding a 51-48 lead at halftime. Despite Ivica Zubac scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, the Clippers could not maintain their performance as Phoenix dominated the third quarter and pulled away to win 115-102, marking Los Angeles' third straight loss.
Key Performances and Game Highlights
- Jalen Green made his Suns debut with 29 points, shooting 50% from the field and hitting 6 of 13 three-point attempts on a night when Phoenix made 19 threes total.
- Devin Booker contributed 24 points for the Suns, helping secure the victory.
- For the Clippers, Cam Christie added 17 points off the bench, John Collins scored 13, and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 12.
Player Absences and Impact
The Clippers played without two key scorers: James Harden, who averaged 23.3 points per game, missed the game due to personal reasons, while Kawhi Leonard, averaging 24.3 points, was sidelined with a right ankle sprain.
"The Clippers were hoping to spend the early weeks of the season building chemistry and sorting through their rotation combinations with a revamped roster. That’s been hard to do with some of their core players missing games, and overlapping absences are making wins hard to come by too."
Jalen Green, who was acquired from Houston in the offseason during the seven-team trade that sent Kevin Durant from Phoenix to the Rockets, returned after missing the Suns' first eight games due to a right hamstring strain. He played 23 minutes and made a significant impact.
Summary
The Suns capitalized on the Clippers' depleted lineup, dominating after halftime to extend Los Angeles' losing streak despite solid individual efforts from Zubac and others.