Los Angeles- After clinching the Pacific Division title in Phoenix on Tuesday night, Head Coach Tyronn Lue decided to bench most of their roster on the second night of a back-to-back at home against the Suns.
The Clippers were defeated 124-108 in a game that wasn’t decided till late in the fourth period.
The Clippers played without key players due to injuries: Paul George (left knee soreness), James Harden (right foot inflammation), Russell Westbrook (bruised left hand), center Ivica Zubac (left ankle inflammation) and Kawhi Leonard missed his sixth consecutive game with knee inflammation.
Bones “Bizzy” Hyland looked outstanding keeping the shorthanded Clippers in the game while reaching a new career-high 37 points 9 assists performance.
“Just playing free, man, just playing my game,” Hyland said. “Going out there and trying to win the game. My teammates told me to go out there and just be busy and that’s just what I do, go out there and play freely. I feel like I did a good job on that tonight.”
In the first half, Hyland opened the game with a 15-point first quarter. Los Angeles shot 54% in the first half making 23 of 42 from the field and they shot 35% from behind the arc making 5 of 14 attempts.
The Suns shot 38% in the first half making 19 of 50 attempts from the floor. Phoenix struggled from deep going 9 of 32 for 28%. The Suns trailed 55-56 at halftime.
Devin Booker led Phoenix in scoring with 37 points, Bradley Beal added 26 and Kevin Durant chipped in with 24 points.
In the second half, the Suns shot 60% from the floor and improved their three-point shooting from the first half making 50% of their attempts going 9 of 18.
The Clippers remained in the game but struggled to make baskets in the second half. Los Angeles shot 39% from the field and 31% from the three-point line. In the fourth period the Clipper’s lack of depth played a role in their defeat struggling to score due to fatigue they went scoreless for about 5mins in the period which allowed Phoenix to pull away.
Post-game Head Coach Tyronna Lue spoke about the fight his undermanned team put up. “They competed, they scrapped, they played hard and had a chance,” Lue said. “Then down the stretch, the game got away from them. Couldn’t make a shot. I think the guys got tired. I think Bones played the whole second half, along with Brandon. But overall, I thought they did a good job.”
The Clippers now prepare to take on the Utah Jazz on Friday in another game where we can expect to see a lot of Bones Hyland and Brandon Boston Jr as the Clippers look to rest their key players as they prepare for their playoff matchup against Luka Donic and the Dallas Mavericks.
