PHOENIX, March 29 (Ticker) -- Jeff McInnis went from goat to hero in three seconds.

McInnis hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer as the Los Angeles Clippers erased an 18-point deficit and defeated the Phoenix Suns, 96-94.

After McInnis hit two free throws to give the Clippers a 93-89 lead with 13 seconds left, Stephon Marbury scored on a layup with 9.4 seconds to play to halve the deficit. Corey Maggette then hit 1-of-2 free throws with nine seconds remaining to give Los Angeles a 94-91 edge.

Following a timeout, McInnis lost Marbury in traffic, and the Suns' guard made him pay, sinking a 3-pointer to tie the game with three seconds left.

NBA TV highlights from Clippers-Suns: 56k | 300k McInnis wins it: 56k | 300k Jeff McInnis scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half. Barry Gossage NBAE/Getty Images

"It was a switch and I stayed with my man," McInnis said. "My man didn't switch to Marbury."

"We just had way too many breakdowns, and a team like this is going to make you pay," Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said. "We can't use the excuse of being a young team -- if you're out there you've got to understand your assignments. We've got to do what is asked of us."

But McInnis took the subsequent inbounds pass, dribbled down the right side and swished a jumper from just inside the arc.

"This was a great win for our team, it keeps us still in the playoff hunt," McInnis said. "We didn't play real well, but we fought back and got the win in the end."

"We fought hard and we played hard, and Jeff made a great shot," Gentry said. "We needed this win."

Elton Brand had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Michael Olowokandi 14 and 14 and McInnis 20, six and seven assists for the Clippers, who snapped a three-game losing streak and moved within 3 1/2 games of Utah for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

The Clippers host Utah on Saturday and face the Jazz at the Delta Center on Wednesday.

"This game was so importnat for us with Utah coming up next,"

Olowokandi said. "This was a crucial win for this team. Now we're in a position to do something for the final stretch."

After Shawn Marion gave the Suns their biggest lead, 43-25, on a pair of free throws with 1:47 left in the first half, the Clippers scored the final seven points of the half. They took a 68-67 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Neither team led by more than five points in the final 12 minutes.

"Our defense wasn't as sharp as it was in the first half," Suns coach Frank Johnson said. "Then they got some layups at the end. I'd like to see us do a better job in executing transition. We only had 10 turnovers, but those turnovers came at crucial times in the game. You can't give any team second chances."

Marion had 26 points and 17 rebounds and Marbury 23 points and 14 assists for the Suns, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.

"Second half, a lot of loose balls got in their hands," Marion said. "That's the way they got back in the game, but we were out there playing hard tonight. We should have won it tonight."

"(It's) very hard to swallow," Marbury said. "We have another game tomorrow (at Houston), so we can't harp on this one. It's over with."