Last week the Clippers hosted the Phoenix Suns and just nine days later played them again at the Intuit Dome.
Before the game, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said there wasn’t much upside to playing a team like the Suns again so soon, especially a team with lethal weapons Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. At least they didn’t have to face Bradley Beal, who didn’t play Thursday because of an injured elbow.
It looked like the Clippers had found an advantage as they jumped on the Suns early, building a 19-point lead in the first quarter that grew to 21 in the third.
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However, the Clippers were unable to hold onto the lead and lost to the Suns 125-119, despite five players scoring in double figures.
That’s because Booker torched the Clippers for 40 points to go along with eight assists and five rebounds.
James Harden led the Clippers with a triple-double of 25 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. It was his 78th career triple-double, tying him with Hall of Fame legend and former Laker Wilt Chamberlain for seventh most in NBA history.
Harden surpassed 26,000 career points, becoming one of 20 players in league history to reach the milestone.
The Clippers lost their season opener to the Suns by three points at the Intuit Dome and are 0-3 in their new home in Inglewood.
The Clippers saw their 70-52 halftime lead shrink to just two points in the fourth quarter. It didn’t help the Clippers that Norman Powell (23 points) left for the locker room after being hit in the face. He returned to the game in the fourth quarter.
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“We know what they’re doing, we know how they tried to attack us last game, we know how to play, how to attack them,” Lue said before the game. “So when you play a team this close early in the season, I think you get a chance to find out which teams want to move forward, what their identity is going to be and how they want to play, style.” So hopefully we catch them early enough so we know exactly what they’re going to do and what they’re trying to do.
The Clippers started this game strong, shooting 61.5% from the field in the first quarter. Their defense was on point during those first 12 minutes, holding the Suns to 36.4% from the field before things went south.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
