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PHOENIX — The Clippers blow a 23-point second half lead as they fall 119-117 to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. The Suns won the season series 4-0 over Los Angeles. The Clippers are now 32-29 after the loss and have now loss six of their last seven games. They return home tonight to face the Detroit Pistons at the Intuit Dome.
Here are some takeaways from the Clippers loss to the Suns:
Clippers blow a 23-point second half lead
This looked like a game that the Clippers were clearly in control of late but they somehow found a way to lose this game.
Los Angeles led 95-72 with 2:01 remaining in the third quarter after Amir Coffey’s layup.
The Suns made two baskets to close the quarter with the Clippers up 95-76. It looked like smooth sailing but the fourth quarter it all changed.
The Clippers defense was lights out for three quarters and disappeared in the fourth. Phoenix outscored Los Angeles 43-22 in the final period.
Suns’ forward Kevin Durant scored 18 off his 34 points in the fourth. Guard Collins Gillespie was the unsung hero for Phoenix as he scored all 10 of his points in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles struggles on defense carried over to their offense too.
The offense did have the crispness and precision that it showed during the previous two quarters. They made only six shots in the fourth.
This is the 10th loss for the Clippers after leading by 10+ points in a game.
Zubac dominates the Suns
It’s a shame the Clippers this game because they got a big time performance for Ivica Zubac.
Zubac scored his career-high 35 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. He was 15-for-17 from the field.
He gave the Suns fits all night with his powerful and swift moves. Zubac’s size and skill was too much for Phoenix to handle.
He nearly tied the game with his late tip shot but he just missed.
Zubac recorded a double-double in the final five games of the road trip and did everything he could to help Los Angeles win their final game on the trip.
Clips finish road trip in a bad place
The Clippers started their road trip on February 13th where they sat at 31-23 after beating the Utah Jazz before the All Star break.
After the break they have dealt with injuries and poor play which has led them to a 1-6 record. They finish the road trip with a 2-6 record.
Injuries to Norman Powell, Derrick Jones Jr. and Ben Simmons has the team in a tough spot as they sit at 32-29 at this moment. They have falling to the ninth seed in the Western Conference.
It looked like they would at least come back home after a win but they faltered.
Los Angeles needs to turn things around quickly or they may fall out of the playoff race. They sit on three games above the Suns who has the tiebreaker after the season series win.