Blake Griffin’s brilliance continues as Clippers snap a nine-game losing streak to the Suns
Nerves were threadbare, frustration reached all the way to the rafters. It did not take long for Power forward Blake Griffin to rock the home crowd with another sizzling performance for Clippers before fouling out.
Griffin registered his 18th straight double-double with 28 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, as the Los Angeles Clippers put an end to the continuous losing streak to the Phoenix Suns with a thrilling 108-103 home victory at Staples Centre in front of
19,060 basketball fans.
"Blake did a great job for us. This was a team effort. We scrambled and got it done," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said.
Four Clippers scored points in double figures. Besides Griffin’s brilliant performance, Eric Gordon played one of his best games and contributed 24 points in season’s ninth victory of Clippers. Baron Davis tallies 15 points and 9 assists, while Randy Foye
provided 10 points off the bench for the Clippers, who have won four of their last five games.
Five Phoenix players scored in double figures, including a team-high 25 off the bench from Mickael Pietrus. While, Steve Nash had a double-double with 21 points and 15 assists, and Grant Hill poured in 19 points for Suns in the third consecutive defeat and
seventh of the last nine games.
The Whole Picture of the Game
The Clippers are athletic, long and compete on defence. They block shots. They clog the middle. Moreover, they are known to have shocked the basketball fans with great upsets against the best NBA teams.
The Clippers hit 68 percent of their first-quarter field goals, led by 14 points by Gordon and 11 by Griffin to help their squad in a 33-18 lead after 12 minutes. The Clippers raced out to a 15-point lead in the opening quarter to have a firm control on
the contest.
In the second quarter, the Los Angeles further expanded its lead to 18 points, 51-33, with 4:53 left in the intermission. However, a 7-2 run by the Suns brought them back into the game and they successfully build a 61-49 lead at the halftime.
The Suns fought hard in the third quarter to make the score a respectable one. After falling down by eight with just under four minutes left, the Phoenix grabbed seven straight points and they were successful in cutting down its deficit to 79-78, heading
into the final session.
"In the second half, we got a little bit out of rhythm. But we stuck to it and pulled out a win,” said Baron Davis.
Los Angeles extended its offensive play to the final stanza and maintained its advantage; however, Pietrus of Phoenix hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 85-85 with 7:54 to go in the final buzzer.
With the clock running down, Pietrus' corner three makes it a 3-point affair, 106-103 with 19.1 seconds left.
Phoenix then called a time out. However, Al-Farouq Aminu’s breakaway dunk sealed the victory for Clippers with 4.6 seconds on the clock.
"They did a good job defensively against us, they're getting better. We're just not getting quality play,” Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said about the Clippers.
Tags: