For four minutes of Sunday’s first half, the Los Angeles Clippers could not miss, scoring 23 unanswered points against a Phoenix team whose hot start this season was built on defense.
The run ballooned the Clippers’ lead to 31 points, and the finale of their two-game road trip appeared to be headed in the direction of so many other games this season — a blowout.
But then, for three minutes late in the fourth quarter, their once-lopsided lead down to single digits, the Clippers could not score, and what surely looked like perhaps their most impressive victory was on the verge of becoming their most dispiriting loss.
Paul George, after a three-pointer to push the lead to nine with 3 minutes 11 seconds remaining, could not get the ball where he wanted thanks to a hounding Phoenix defense, and Kawhi Leonard missed four shots in a row.
It was an ominous stretch, until George, who finished with a season-high 39 points, found Nicolas Batum in the corner with 11 seconds left for a three-pointer that stopped the Clippers’ slide en route to a 112-107 win in Phoenix.
The Clippers’ 23-0 run in the first half happened with Leonard on the bench, and he struggled to score when he was back on the court by making four of his 21 shots to finish with 15 points. Another uncharacteristic performance came from starting center Serge Ibaka, who finished with eight points and seven rebounds but spent much of the first three quarters on the bench due to foul trouble.
Phoenix (5-2) was led by Devin Booker’s 25 points. The Clippers made it their primary defensive focus to slow Booker, and held him to only 10 points in the first half, but he scored a dozen in the fourth quarter.
George and Booker were each assessed technical fouls with seven minutes remaining in the fourth after Phoenix guard Cam Payne fell atop George while attempting to chase him down from behind. George traded words with Payne before Booker became involved.
Luke Kennard scored 14 points off the bench for the Clippers, who committed just 10 turnovers.
Phoenix’s sloppiness contributed to its own demise. Its 14 turnovers became 21 points for the Clippers.
