Clippers-Suns Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Dec 23 2012 12:18PM

The Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Clippers aren't satisfied with setting a franchise record for consecutive wins.

Perhaps a victory in Phoenix would bring some satisfaction.

Los Angeles goes for a 13th consecutive victory on Sunday night when the Suns try to win their 11th in a row with the Clippers in town.

Los Angeles (20-6) has gone undefeated since a four-game skid and has broken a 38-year-old club record for consecutive wins. The Clippers set that mark - and matched Oklahoma City for the longest winning streak of the season - with Friday's 97-85 victory over Sacramento.

"It's very exciting, 12 in a row," Jamal Crawford, the NBA leader with 16.1 points per game off the bench, told the Clippers' official website. "We just have to keep the streak going, but not get over excited about it."

The Clippers have to be pleased with their effort on the defensive end. Los Angeles, the league leader with 10.7 steals per game, is giving up 88.2 points per contest and holding teams to 41.5 percent shooting since its last loss.

Included in that stretch is a 117-99 victory over Phoenix (11-16) on Dec. 8 when the Clippers forced the Suns into a season-worst 20 turnovers.

Los Angeles arrives in the desert with a franchise-record five-game road winning streak, yet it hasn't won at Phoenix since April 17, 2007.

The Suns were hoping to return home on a five-game winning streak, but their best run of the season ended Saturday with a 96-93 loss to Portland.

Phoenix was outrebounded by 13 and shot 17 fewer free throws than the Blazers, but it still had a chance in the final seconds to tie as Goran Dragic missed a 3-pointer. Shannon Brown also missed a short jumper as the Suns dropped their sixth straight on the road.

"We had an opportunity to go down, and I thought we could get a quick two with a timeout left," said coach Alvin Gentry, a former Clippers head coach. "Then we peeled off and started looking for a three, and just never got the timeout called."

The Suns, though, return home where they've won a season-best four straight by an average of 11.3 points.

Phoenix is holding opponents to 89.5 points per game during this stretch.

The Clippers haven't reached 98 points in their last three contests, but they're still scoring 103.0 per game during their winning streak.

Los Angeles' bench is averaging 44.8 points, 19.2 rebounds and 10.8 assists since the team's last defeat.

The Clippers' reserves had 56 points on Dec. 8 - their second-most of the season - with Crawford scoring 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, Matt Barnes finishing with 13 and Eric Bledsoe chipping in with 10.

As much as the Clippers rely on their deep bench, expectations remain the highest on Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. Griffin is averaging team highs of 19.8 points and 8.6 rebounds during the streak, while Paul is scoring 16.0 points with 9.3 assists.

"That's what All-Stars do," coach Vinny Del Negro said.

Griffin scored a team-high 24 points and grabbed eight boards on Dec. 8 and Paul notched his fourth straight double-double against Phoenix with 16 points and 11 assists.

Dragic, the team leader with 14.8 points per game, had a season-low eight points in that defeat.

Despite shooting a combined 40.6 percent, Los Angeles lost by just three in each of its two visits to Phoenix in 2011-12.

Clippers beat Suns to run win streak to 13 games

By JONATHAN DALTON
Posted Dec 23 2012 11:20PM

PHOENIX (AP) The Los Angeles Clippers are starting to make easy victories look routine.

Blake Griffin scored 23 points, Chris Paul had 17 points and 13 assists and the Clippers extended a franchise record with their 13th consecutive victory, 103-77 over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.

Reserve Jamal Crawford added 22 points for the Clippers, who won in Phoenix for the first time since April 17, 2007. Los Angeles' overall win streak is an NBA season best and its six straight road victories are also a franchise best.

"We're just taking care of business right now," Griffin said. "To be honest, we're not really concerned with `You haven't won here since then' or `You haven't won this many games in a row.'

"We hear it all but we're about just getting these wins and if they come within a streak or when we haven't won somewhere, that's fine."

The Clippers have won by an average of 13 points and boast four victories of 20 or more points during their streak.

"I thought our starters did a good job in the first quarter and then our second quarter, we jumped on them," said Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro.

Jared Dudley scored 19 points, Luis Scola had 11 and Markieff Morris added 10 for the Suns, who have dropped two straight after winning four in a row.

Phoenix shot 52.2 percent in the first quarter but only 29.8 percent the rest of the way and tied a season low for points.

"Chris Paul was a one-man wrecking crew on defense," Dudley said. "He took us completely out of our offense. Our turnovers and bad offense led to points. They're a team you really can't afford to do that to."

Suns coach Alvin Gentry was ejected with 2:33 left in the first half when he received a pair of technical fouls seconds apart. The teams combined for six technical in the game's first three quarters.

"I've got to do a better job of keeping my cool in that situation," Gentry said. "He (Rodney Mott) thought I deserved two technical fouls so that's the way it is."

Phoenix kept it close for the first quarter and the first half of the second. Shannon Brown sank an 11-foot pull-up jumper on a fast break as the Suns trimmed an eight-point deficit to 43-40 with 5:36 left in the first half.

That would be the Suns' next-to-last field goal of the half.

Crawford, meanwhile, hit a long 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to key a 15-3 run that helped give the Clippers a 58-43 lead at halftime.

"It was our defense right there towards the end of the half," Paul said. "I think we were up like six and then you look and we're up 15. We got some very timely steals."

Los Angeles continued to extend its lead in the third, aided by five Phoenix turnovers in the first three minutes of the period, and used a 16-3 run to end the quarter for a 91-60 lead.

The Suns had 16 turnovers against the Clippers, who lead the NBA by forcing an average of 17.5 per game. Los Angeles was a bit sloppy with the ball, too, turning it over 16 times.

"They're playing show basketball with the alley-oops and the fancy passes," said Suns center Marcin Gortat, who had eight points and 12 rebounds but also four turnovers. "They can afford to turn the ball over a few times. Our team can't fall for that. We have to run what the coach is telling us to run and to execute."

NOTES: Paul either scored or assisted on all but one basket over the final five minutes of the first quarter. ... The Clippers matched a franchise record by holding their eighth straight opponent below 43 percent shooting. ... The Clippers' prior best road winning streak was set in 1974-75 by the then-Buffalo Braves. ... Suns C Jermaine O'Neal and Clippers C Ronny Turiaf also received technical for an altercation in the second. Gortat and DeAndre Jordan also were handed technicals. ... Suns F Michael Beasley was inactive with the flu.

Notebook: Clippers 103, Suns 77

Mike Tulumello, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Dec 23, 2012 11:12 PM - Updated Sun Dec 23, 2012 11:12 PM

THE FACTS: The Phoenix Suns could compete with the visiting Los Angeles Clippers Sunday night....until the teams starting reaching for their reserves.

Once the bench players started entering the game, the deeper Clippers started to roll to an easy 103-77 win, extending their franchise record to 13 straight. They also set a franchise record with their sixth straight road win.

"They're probably the best team in the league," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said before tipoff. "They're playing like it now."

After the opening six minutes or so, they played like it Sunday night.

The Clippers (21-6) rolled up a 58-43 halftime lead, then extended it to 91-60 when Blake Griffin nailed a 3-pointer to beat the third quarter buzzer.

Griffin and reserve Jamal Crawford each shot 8-for-12 with Griffin scoring 23 and Crawford 22.

Jared Dudley led the Suns (11-17) with 19 points.

Told of Gentry's comments, Chris Paul (17 points, 13 assists), said, "We appreciate that, but we are just trying to be consistent. We are playing hard and playing together."

Late in the second quarter, Gentry drew two technical fouls and an ejection. Gentry and the Suns already appeared to be in a foul mood after the previous night's game in Portland, when the Suns' starters got a combined two free throws. Suns reserve Michael Beasley sat out with an illness.

"We caught Phoenix on a good night (for the Clippers), a tough back-to-back coming from Portland," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said.

QUOTABLE: "They've got the best bench in the league...with (Eric) Beldsoe, (Lamar) Odom and (Matt) Barnes...The jump Bledsoe has made from last year is phenomenal...He may be the most improved player in the league. No reason they shouldn't be optimistic about their chances for winning a championship."
-- Gentry on the Clippers.

THE STAT: The Clippers' reserves shot 16-for-30 for 47 points. The Suns' reserves shot 10-for-31 for 25 points.

TURNING POINT: The Suns Goran Dragic picked up his second foul, a bad one 40 feet from the defensive basket with the Suns leading 14-12 midway through the first quarter. That forced the Suns to go to the bench sooner than desired, and the rout was on.

QUOTABLE II: "We are still not a complete team. We have to get Chauncey (Billups) back. We have to get Grant (Hill) back."
-- Del Negro.

HOT: The Clippers hit 11-for-21 (52 percent) from 3-point range, almost equaling their free-throw percentage of 55 (they shot just 11-for-21).

NOT: Marcin Gortat twice late in the first half grabbed defensive rebounds and threw the ball away unforced. The turnovers helped the Clippers build a decisive 58-43 halftime lead.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Dragic has shot only 6-for-21 for 17 points the past two nights.

NOTABLE: The Suns had won 10 straight at home vs. the Clippers, meaning Griffin had never won in Arizona.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Tuesday vs. Nuggets, Thursday vs. Celtics and Friday @ Utah. For the Suns, Wednesday vs. Knicks, Friday @ Indiana and Saturday @ Minnesota.

• Clippers: Billups, Hill, Thompkins
• Suns: Beasley, Frye

• Clippers: Jordan, Turiaf
• Suns: Gentry, Gentry, Gortat, O'Neal

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
• Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #44 Eli Roe, #40 Leon Wood
• Attendance: 14741
• Duration: 2:11