It was only last week that Clippers hosted the Phoenix Suns and just nine days later played them again at the Intuit Dome.
Before the match, Tyronn Lue, Clippers coach 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 due to an elbow injury.
It looked like the Clippers found an advantage by going after the Suns early, building a 19-point lead in the first quarter, which grew to 21 by the third.
Learn more: The Clippers, who have become experts in close games, lose a close game against Portland
The Clippers, however, failed to hold on to the lead and lost 125-119 to the Suns despite five players scoring in double figures.
That’s because Booker torched the Clippers for 40 points, along with eight assists and five rebounds.
That’s because the Suns dominated the Clippers in the third quarter, shooting 80 percent (16 of 20) from the field to score 39 points.
That’s because the Clippers turned the ball over six times in the fourth quarter.
The Clippers’ five games have been close, but they are winless in three games at their new home in Inglewood.
“We have to continue to improve. We need to close out games better and (it’s) just something we can continue to learn from,” Lue said. “Our five games were close, until the end. We were lucky to win two. … We must therefore stay the course, knowing that our margin for error is very slim.
“Every possession counts. … We play hard, we compete, but we have to play smarter and we have to be better.
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 that milestone.
But Harden is still trying to be efficient in his game. He was eight of 19 from the field and three of 10 from three-point range. He made six turnovers.
“Turnovers are going to happen,” Harden said. “I try to do it, but some of the passes I string together, a lot of them are successful and some of them aren’t. So, I’m just trying to find a balance between when to throw and when not to. But the ones that aren’t forced, I have to control them much better.
“But I don’t think it was necessarily the turnovers that lost the game. We had success in that third quarter defensively, they didn’t feel us defensively, our presence, and they were just comfortable. They made shots and that got them back in the game.”
Learn more: Ivica Zubac’s continued improvement impacts Clippers
The Suns took control of the game in the second half and the Clippers defense couldn’t contain them.
The Clippers saw their 70-52 halftime lead shrink to just two points early in the fourth quarter. It didn’t help the Clippers that Norman Powell (23 points) went to the locker room after being hit in the face. He returned to the game in the fourth quarter.
Phoenix shot 60.5% from the field in the final 24 minutes, 52.5% from three-point range and scored 73 points.
“Definitely frustrating, but there’s nothing we can do about it,” Harden said of the Clippers blowing a 21-point lead. “We just have to find ways to get better, and I think since last night we had that conversation and then tonight I think we came out with really good energy, a positive start and we have enough talent .
“We’ve just been doing it, when we get leads, we have to know how to get a really good shot and maintain those leads…but all that comes with us, the growing pains.”
This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
