Shannon Brown scores 21; Phoenix Suns startle Los Angeles Clippers with 91 – 87 win – NBA Recap
The Phoenix Suns shocked the Los Angeles Clippers with a come from behind win here Thursday. Playing at the Staples Center, Phoenix trailed from much of the game but a tremendous final quarter charge gave them the shock win over Los Angeles.
The victory for Phoenix was even more surprising give the fact the veteran talisman Steve Nash and fellow stalwart Grant Hill did not even suit up for the game. Instead, the Suns found an unlikely hero in Shannon Brown.
Brown scored his season high 21 points, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, to help the Suns to victory. Other than Shannon, Sebastian Telfair, who stood in for Nash, made a good contribution with 7 points and 8 assists. Markieff Morris, Channing Frye
and Jared Dudley also got into double digits.
Star forward Blake Griffin was the top scorer for Los Angeles. Blake scored 25 points and had 8 rebounds. Caron Butler scored 14 while Chris Paul had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists.
The Clippers were imperious at the start. An 8 – 0 run early in the first quarter gave them a 14 – 7 lead. Another 8 – 0 burst then took them to 25 – 12, under 4 minutes left on the clock. They ended the period with the double-digit lead intact; 29 – 17.
Phoenix were better in the second segment. They played hard and a 6 – 0 spurt cut the lead to 37 – 30. The Clippers immediately responded however, a 10 – 0 sprint taking their advantage to 47 – 30. The Suns then ended the half with a 9 – 0 run that reduced
the gap to 47 – 39.
After the break the home team again looked threatening. The Clippers amassed 28 points in the third period. The Suns weren’t able to match that output but didn’t fall behind either, scoring 25 points. They trailed by 11 going into the final quarter, score
75 -64.
It was in the final 12 minutes that Phoenix erupted. A 10 – 0 burst from the Suns brought them to within touching distance; 78 – 76. An effort from downtown, by Brown, put them up 87 – 85. Shannon then held his nerve to nail 4 free throws in the dying moments
as the Clippers faltered, handing Phoenix a 91 – 87 win.
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