Blake Griffin scored 28 points and added 12 rebounds to lead the Clippers over the Phoenix Suns 108-103 at Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon.
The victory was the first for the Clippers over the Suns in the last 10 meetings.
Eric Gordon had 24 points and a crucial steal to preserve the victory for Los Angeles (9-22). Baron Davis added 15 points and nine assists.
The Clippers led from the start. They built a 33-18 advantage after the first quarter and led 61-49 at the half.
Phoenix got back in the game in the third quarter. They made 11 of 12 free throws in the third and trailed just 79-78 heading into the fourth quarter.
Phoenix tied the game at 85 on a 3-pointer by Michael Pietrus but the Clippers responded immediately with an 8-0 run.
The Clippers led 104-94 with 2:06 to play but Steve Nash and Pietrus led the Suns on a 10-1 run to close the gap to 104-103 with 22 seconds left.
A pair of free throws by Randy Foye increased the lead to 106-103 and Gordon’s steal led to a slam dunk by Al Farouq-Aminu to close out the scoring.
Phoenix lost its third straight game. The Suns got 21 points and 15 assists from Nash.
Vince Carter, acquired from the Magic earlier in the week, did not play for Phoenix. He is nursing a knee injury and is expected to make his Suns’ debut during the week.
Phoenix | L.A. Clippers | |
Mickael Pietrus 25 | Scoring | Blake Griffin 28 |
Steve Nash 15 | Assists | Baron Davis 9 |
Grant Hill 7 | Rebounds | Blake Griffin 12 |
Grant Hill 5 | Free Throws Made | Blake Griffin 12 |
Channing Frye 2 | Steals | Al-Farouq Aminu 1 |
Marcin Gortat 1 | Blocks | Al-Farouq Aminu 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Phoenix | 103 | 44.8 | 9-25 | 16-18 | 26 | 33 | 1 | 8 | 12 |
L.A. Clippers | 108 | 53.3 | 7-21 | 21-34 | 26 | 40 | 3 | 6 | 15 |