The Los Angeles Clippers routed in Phoenix were a one-night reminder that Sunday’s win had not yet changed the broader start to their season. The Phoenix Suns beat the Clippers 133-110 on Tuesday night at Mortgage Matchup Center, one game after Los Angeles had snapped a seven-game losing streak against the New Orleans Pelicans. Phoenix led by 17 at halftime, stretched the margin to 32, and improved to 4-6. The Clippers fell to 2-8 and 0-5 on the road, having now lost eight of their last nine.
Jordan Goodwin, back from a calf injury according to the Associated Press, led all scorers with 18 points in 13:36. He made 6 of 7 shots, all of those makes coming from three-point range, in a bench shift that helped the Suns bury the game before the fourth quarter. Devin Booker added 17 points and five assists in 29:04. The official box is the source for the line, the times and the shooting splits that follow.
The NBA’s full-game highlights from Tuesday, above, show a Suns team that shot the ball with unusual range and a Clippers group that never recovered after a slow first quarter. The Associated Press recap and the official scorer’s report agree on the final, the period scores and the main counting stats. Where they differ on a detail, the official box is used here.
Phoenix took the game in the first three quarters
The Clippers scored 18 points in the first quarter and trailed 29-18. They played a more competitive second period, 29-35, but still reached halftime down 64-47. The Associated Press noted that Collin Gillespie hit a three-pointer from 39 feet just before the buzzer and that Phoenix was 11 of 22 from three in the first half. The Suns then outscored Los Angeles 35-25 in the third quarter. The AP said the lead reached 91-59 with four minutes left in the third. The Clippers won the fourth, 38-34, when the result was already decided.
Phoenix shot 49 of 88 from the field, 55.7 percent, and 22 of 43 from three, 51.2 percent. The Suns also held a 48-37 rebounding edge, including 40 defensive rebounds, and scored 24 second-chance points to the Clippers’ 15. Both teams scored 44 points in the paint. Los Angeles actually had the edge in fast-break points, 21-10, which only underscores that transition alone did not keep the Clippers in the game. Phoenix’s largest lead was 32 points. The Clippers’ largest lead was 3. There were four lead changes and two ties.
Seven Suns scored in double figures, five of them from the bench. Luke Kennard had 14 points, Jalen Green 13, Gillespie 12 points and eight assists, and Khaman Maluach 11 points and seven rebounds. Ryan Dunn added 10 points and eight rebounds in 25:16 off the bench. Booker picked up a technical foul at 3:37 of the second quarter, Dunn another at 1:46 of the third, and Maluach was assessed a non-unsportsmanlike technical for defensive three seconds at 8:46 of the fourth. Those are official markings, not a claim that the fouls decided a game Phoenix already controlled.
The Clippers never found a second-night formula
Rui Hachimura, Baba Miller and Darius Garland each scored 13 points. Max Strus added 12. Those were the only Clippers in double figures besides Miller, and the starting group was underwater for the night. Garland finished 5 of 12 and 1 of 6 from three with six assists and four turnovers in 24:30, a minus-21. Derrick Jones Jr. had 11 points in 24:02. Brook Lopez scored eight points in 19:22. Kris Dunn was held to three points in 18:34. Hachimura went 4 of 10 and 3 of 5 from three in 23:05.
Miller was the one plus-minus bright spot, plus-9 in 15:39 on 4-of-4 shooting, including a three, with four rebounds. Keaton Wagler had 11 points but shot 3 of 12 and 1 of 7 from three in 23:01. Gradey Dick scored 10 points in 19:09. Kobe Sanders played a team-high 26:06 off the bench and finished with nine points and seven assists. The team totals were 38 of 90 from the field, 42.2 percent, and 15 of 44 from three, 34.1 percent, with 19 of 26 free throws. Los Angeles had 28 assists, 13 total turnovers and 10 steals, and still left Phoenix with a 23-point margin.
The Associated Press described the Clippers as coming off their first win in more than two weeks. That is a fair way to place Tuesday after Sunday’s 139-123 result against New Orleans, when Los Angeles had finally ended the seven-game skid. The official record now is 2-8, with eight losses in the last nine games and an 0-5 road mark. A sellout crowd of 17,071 watched the Suns improve to 3-2 on a season-high seven-game homestand, per the AP, and to 4-3 at home overall.
The same injury list followed them to Phoenix
The official inactive list for the Clippers was Bradley Beal (right knee injury management), Cam Christie (right ankle sprain), Brandon Ingram (right heel surgery), Nick Martinelli (G League, two-way), Jordan Miller (left rotator cuff surgery) and Yanic Konan Niederhauser (right Lisfranc surgery). Christie had been listed as questionable on Tuesday morning’s official report after playing two minutes Sunday; he did not play in Phoenix and is recorded as inactive with the ankle sprain. Ingram remains under the official designation of right heel surgery. Earlier reporting that mentioned an Achilles finding during that procedure is still a conflict to flag, not a reason to replace the official wording.
Phoenix’s official inactives included Mark Williams (left shoulder surgery) and three two-way or G League players. Goodwin’s return from a calf injury is attributed to the Associated Press, which also said he had missed the previous three games and signed a three-year, $19 million deal to return to the Suns in the offseason. The official box does not itself list the reason he had been out, so that background stays with the AP.
Oklahoma City is next at home
The Clippers are scheduled to host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday at 7:30 p.m. PST, then the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. Those games are a chance to see whether Sunday’s offensive night against New Orleans or Tuesday’s 42.2 percent trip through Phoenix is the more reliable snapshot. The responsible conclusion from the official box is narrower: Phoenix shot 51.2 percent from three, opened a 17-point halftime lead, and won by 23, while the Clippers’ available rotation could not keep the Suns from a 32-point peak lead on the road.
Notes and conflicts
- Goodwin’s minutes. The official box lists 13:36. The Associated Press rounded that to 14 minutes.
- Three-point percentage. Official 22 of 43 is 51.2 percent; some recaps shorten that to 51 percent.
- Ingram. Official inactive: right heel surgery. Prior Achilles reporting remains a flagged conflict.
- Christie. Questionable on the morning report, inactive with a right ankle sprain for the game.
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