Clippers 117, Suns 99: Blake Griffin had a team-high 24 points and Jamal Crawford scored 13 of his 21 points in the pivotal fourth quarter as host Los Angeles won its fifth consecutive game.
Chris Paul added 16 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who broke open a tight game by outscoring the Suns by a 32-16 margin in the final quarter.
Michael Beasley answered his demotion from Phoenix's starting lineup by scoring a team-high 21 points. Beasley matched a career-high with four 3-pointers and shot 7-for-11 from the field after going just 10-for-35 his previous three games.
After the Suns closed to within two at 85-83 to end the third quarter, Crawford made a pair of long-range jumpers en route to scoring his team's first seven points in the session.Phoenix couldn't follow suit as it misfired on a trio of 3-point attempts in four possessions. The deficit quickly ballooned to 11 just 3:19 into the quarter and the Suns wilted to their sixth straight loss.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Paul recorded his 25th game of 15-plus points and 10-plus assists since joining the Clippers prior to last season. It's the most in the league of any player over that span. ... Phoenix C Jermaine O'Neal was ejected in the fourth quarter after being issued two consecutive technicals for tangling with Ronny Turiaf and arguing. ... Crawford, who went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, has made 55 consecutive free throws dating back to Nov. 3.
Phoenix | L.A. Clippers | |
Michael Beasley 21 | Scoring | Blake Griffin 24 |
Michael Beasley 5 | Assists | Chris Paul 11 |
Luis Scola 10 | Rebounds | Matt Barnes 8 |
Shannon Brown 5 | Free Throws Made | Jamal Crawford 4 |
Michael Beasley 1 | Steals | Blake Griffin 4 |
Jermaine O'Neal 2 | Blocks | DeAndre Jordan 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Phoenix | 99 | 46.2 | 9-24 | 18-20 | 24 | 37 | 6 | 6 | 20 |
L.A. Clippers | 117 | 51.6 | 7-23 | 14-24 | 30 | 41 | 5 | 12 | 11 |