Game ID: 22301165
Phoenix Suns @ LA Clippers
Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at 10:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAC 27 29 37 15 108PHX 28 27 37 32 124
LAC vs PHX ScoutingLAC vs PHX Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
LAC availability going into 4/04 · 1 day's restOUT Tucker missed 3 since 3/29, returns tonight: 17 min (111% of 15)
BACK Westbrook back 3/25 after 12, 19 min since (87% of 22)
BACK Theis back 4/02 after 4, 18 min since (106% of 17)
BACK Hyland back 4/02 after 3, 8 min since (55% of 14)
BACK Boston back 4/02 after 4, 21 min since (212% of 10)
LAC availability going into 4/05 · back-to-backOUT Leonard missed 2 since 4/02, out tonight
BACK Theis back 4/02 after 4, 18 min since (106% of 17)
BACK Tucker back 4/04 after 3, 17 min since (111% of 15)
BACK Hyland back 4/02 after 3, 8 min since (55% of 14)
BACK Boston back 4/02 after 4, 21 min since (212% of 10)
LAC availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restOUT Leonard missed 3 since 4/02, out tonight
BACK Theis back 4/02 after 4, 17 min since (103% of 17)
BACK Tucker back 4/04 after 3, 15 min since (102% of 15)
BACK Hyland back 4/02 after 3, 7 min since (54% of 14)
BACK Boston back 4/02 after 4, 14 min since (142% of 10)
LAC availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restOUT Leonard missed 4 since 4/02, out tonight
BACK Theis back 4/02 after 4, 17 min since (103% of 17)
BACK Tucker back 4/04 after 3, 15 min since (100% of 15)
BACK Hyland back 4/02 after 3, 7 min since (54% of 14)
BACK Boston back 4/02 after 4, 14 min since (142% of 10)
LAC availability going into 4/10 · back-to-backOUT Leonard missed 5 since 4/02, out tonight
OUT Theis missed 2 since 4/07, returns tonight: 10 min (57% of 17)
BACK Tucker back 4/04 after 3, 15 min since (100% of 15)
BACK Hyland back 4/02 after 3, 11 min since (78% of 14)
BACK Boston back 4/02 after 4, 10 min since (98% of 10)
NEW Coffey 21 to 28 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restOUT Harden missed 2 since 4/09, returns tonight: 10 min (29% of 35)
OUT Leonard missed 6 since 4/02, out tonight
BACK Theis back 4/10 after 2, 10 min since (57% of 17)
BACK Tucker back 4/04 after 3, 17 min since (114% of 15)
NEW Westbrook 22 to 28 min over the last 4
NEW Coffey 21 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 23 min over the last 3
NEW Boston 10 to 16 min over the last 3
LAC availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restOUT Leonard missed 7 since 4/02, out tonight
BACK Harden back 4/12 after 2, 10 min since (29% of 35)
BACK Theis back 4/10 after 2, 18 min since (108% of 17)
NEW Coffey 21 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 24 min over the last 4
NEW Boston 10 to 18 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 4/21 · 6 days' restOUT Leonard missed 8 since 4/02, out tonight
BACK Harden back 4/12 after 2, 10 min since (29% of 35)
BACK Theis back 4/10 after 2, 22 min since (129% of 17)
NEW Coffey 21 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Plumlee 14 to 20 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 30 min over the last 3
NEW Boston 10 to 24 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 4/23 · 1 day's restOUT Leonard missed 9 since 4/02, returns tonight: 35 min (102% of 34)
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 4/14, out tonight
BACK Harden back 4/12 after 2, 25 min since (71% of 35)
BACK Theis back 4/10 after 2, 22 min since (129% of 17)
NEW Coffey 21 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Boston 10 to 24 min over the last 4
PHX availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/23 after 10, 12 min since (75% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Okogie missed 2 since 4/01, returns tonight: 4 min (26% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/29 after 2, 9 min since (57% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/09 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 3/29 after 2, 9 min since (57% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/10 · back-to-backBACK Okogie back 4/05 after 2, 3 min since (17% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/12 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 4/05 after 2, 2 min since (14% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/14 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 4/05 after 2, 2 min since (14% of 16)
PHX availability going into 4/20 · 5 days' rest
full strength
PHX availability going into 4/23 · 2 days' rest
full strength
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 104, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 24 and Harden at 15 a game. That is 4 straight wins. They have won the glass by 5 a night. Without Leonard (5 straight), Theis (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 103, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Booker at 28 and Durant at 24 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-5 a night and Phoenix minus-1. Call it the Clippers 112, Phoenix 109, Phoenix keeping it close.
4/04 vs DEN 102-100 — LAC notes
LAC won 102-100. LAC shot 38% (34 of 90) to DEN's 43%, 7 of 33 from three, and went to the line 32 times to DEN's 25 — 27 points from the stripe to their 17. LAC turned it over 6 times to DEN's 13. George led with 28 (10 of 21, 2 of 6 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Harden added 20, Zubac 14. The hinge was Q2, 33-18: LAC came in trailing by 11 and left it ahead by 4. Coffey was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
4/05 vs UTA 131-102 — LAC notes
LAC won 131-102. LAC shot 56% (51 of 91) to UTA's 38%, 13 of 35 from three, and got to the line 18 times to UTA's 29. Mann led with 19 (8 of 9); Powell added 18, Westbrook 17. The hinge was Q1, 41-16: from level to 25 ahead, and the lead reached 38. Mann was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
4/07 vs CLE 120-118 — LAC notes
LAC won 120-118. LAC shot 49% (41 of 84) to CLE's 48%, 14 of 35 from three. The glass went 48-36 for them. George led with 39 (10 of 24, 3 of 9 from three, 16 of 16 at the line); Harden added 22, Mann 14. The hinge was Q4, 34-20: LAC came in trailing by 12 and left it ahead by 2. LAC trailed 59-80 at the half and won the second half 61-38. Powell was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
4/09 @ PHX 105-92 — LAC notes
LAC won 105-92. LAC shot 47% (41 of 87) to PHX's 34%, 12 of 26 from three, and got to the line 11 times to PHX's 28. LAC turned it over 18 times to PHX's 8, and PHX turned those into 16 steals. The glass went 63-38 for them. George led with 23 (7 of 15, 3 of 5 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Mann added 17, Zubac 17. The hinge was Q1, 37-10: from level to 27 ahead, and the lead reached 37. Powell was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
4/10 vs PHX 108-124 — LAC notes
LAC lost 108-124. LAC shot 46% (44 of 95) to PHX's 48%, 12 of 36 from three. Hyland led with 37 (15 of 29, 6 of 12 from three); Boston added 23, Plumlee 12. Q2 was theirs, 29-27, turning a 1-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 97-79 against them. Brown's -30 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/12 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; George at 26 and Harden at 18 a game. They have won the glass by 8 a night. Without Harden (2 straight), Leonard (6 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Horton-Tucker at 17 and Sexton at 15 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-8 a night and Utah minus-5 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 107 a night to Utah's 122. Call it the Clippers 120, Utah 109, the Clippers by 11.
4/14 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; George at 22 and Hyland at 17 a game. They have won the glass by 8 a night. Without Leonard (7 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; VanVleet at 29 and Ja. Green at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been plus-8 a night and Houston minus-7 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 109 a night to Houston's 121. Call it the Clippers 117, Houston 113, Houston keeping it close.
4/21 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 16 free throws a game; George at 24 and Hyland at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. They have won the glass by 5 a night. Without Leonard (8 straight). 6 days' rest. Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Dončić at 35 and Irving at 30 a game. Without Dončić (2 straight), Irving (2 straight), Lively II (8 straight). 6 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the line, where Dallas takes 21 free throws a game to the Clippers' 16. Call it the Clippers 115, Dallas 113, Dallas keeping it close.
4/23 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 108, shooting 45 percent and 34 from three, 14 free throws a game; Hyland at 21 and George at 18 a game. Without Leonard (9 straight). One day's rest. Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 30 from three, 19 free throws a game; Dončić at 34 and Irving at 25 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 34 percent from three to Dallas's 30 and the line, where Dallas takes 19 free throws a game to the Clippers' 14. Call it the Clippers 113, Dallas 109, Dallas keeping it close.
4/03 vs CLE 122-101 — PHX notes
PHX won 122-101. PHX shot 51% (44 of 87) to CLE's 47%, 18 of 33 from three. Booker led with 40 (13 of 25, 5 of 9 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Durant added 32, O'Neale 17. The hinge was Q1, 34-20: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 28. Gordon was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
4/05 vs MIN 97-87 — PHX notes
PHX won 97-87. PHX shot 43% (33 of 76) to MIN's 39%, 9 of 26 from three, and went to the line 29 times to MIN's 14 — 22 points from the stripe to their 11. Allen led with 23 (6 of 14, 4 of 8 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Durant added 22, Beal 14. The hinge was Q1, 32-20: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Durant was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
4/07 vs NOP 105-113 — PHX notes
PHX lost 105-113. PHX shot 45% (39 of 87) to NOP's 47%, 14 of 39 from three. Beal led with 33 (13 of 19, 7 of 8 from three); Booker added 25, Durant 23. Q1 was theirs, 26-19, but the other 3 periods went 94-79 against them. They led by as many as 13. Durant's -12 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/09 vs LAC 92-105 — PHX notes
PHX lost 92-105. PHX shot 34% (30 of 89) to LAC's 47%, 8 of 35 from three, and went to the line 28 times to LAC's 11 — 24 points from the stripe to their 11. PHX turned it over 8 times to LAC's 18. The glass went 38-63 against them. Durant led with 21 (8 of 22, 2 of 5 from three); Beal added 19, Booker 12. Q3 was theirs, 35-18, the deficit cut from 33 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 87-57 against them. Eubanks's -20 in 12 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/10 @ LAC 124-108 — PHX notes
PHX won 124-108. PHX shot 48% (46 of 95) to LAC's 46%, 18 of 50 from three. Booker led with 37 (13 of 24, 5 of 12 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Beal added 26, Durant 24. The hinge was Q4, 32-15: PHX came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 16. PHX trailed 55-56 at the half and won the second half 69-52. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
4/12 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Fox at 31 and Murray at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 103, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Booker at 25 and Durant at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-3 a night and Phoenix minus-3 and the defense, Phoenix allowing 103 a night to Sacramento's 109. Call it Phoenix 112, Sacramento 111, Sacramento keeping it close.
4/14 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Gobert at 16 a game. One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 104, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 24 and Beal at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 104 a night to Minnesota's 111. Call it Minnesota 112, Phoenix 108, Phoenix keeping it close.
4/20 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Gobert at 19 a game. 5 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Beal at 27 and Booker at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. 5 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 108 a night to Minnesota's 117 and the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-1 a night and Phoenix minus-5. Call it Minnesota 114, Phoenix 111, Phoenix keeping it close.
4/23 @ MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Gobert at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 24 and Beal at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-5 a night and Phoenix minus-9 and the line, where Minnesota takes 27 free throws a game to Phoenix's 21. Call it Minnesota 114, Phoenix 109.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXBB B. Beal
DB D. Booker
DR D. Roddy
EG E. Gordon
GA G. Allen
JN J. Nurkić
JO J. Okogie
KD K. Durant
NL N. Little
NU Nurkic
RO R. O'Neale
SL S. Lee
TY T. Young
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Boston
BH B. Hyland
BJ Boston Jr.
DT D. Theis
KB K. Brown
MP M. Plumlee
PT P. Tucker
TM T. Mann
XM X. Moon
PHX/LAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Suns rally in 4th to beat Clippers 124-108 to split home-and-home set after blowout loss
LOS ANGELES -- — Devin Booker scored 37 points, Bradley Beal added 26 and the Phoenix Suns rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 124-108 on Wednesday night.
The victory was payback for the Suns after they were embarrassed in the first quarter the previous night in Phoenix. That’s when the Clippers led 35-4 and went ahead by 37 in the second quarter before the Suns got close only to lose 105-92.
“Around this time of the year you’re just trying to win games regardless of the context involved,” said Kevin Durant , who added 24 points and nine rebounds for Phoenix.
The result Wednesday locked Golden State and Los Angeles Lakers into the play-in tournament. The Suns are seventh in the West, a half-game behind New Orleans for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot.
“We’ve been preaching with the play-in that all these games are already playoff games,” Booker said. “It’s going to be high intensity, if you lose it’s going to be the worst loss ever. If you win, good win.”
The Suns ran off 13 in a row to go up 114-106, part of a game-ending 23-2 outburst. The Clippers went completely cold, watching shots bounce off the rim or spin and go out.
“I liked how organized we were in the fourth quarter and the commitment to get stops,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said. “We knew if we just stayed together and stayed with it we would prevail.”
Bones Hyland scored a career-high 37 points, making six 3-pointers, to go with nine assists for the Clippers, who had won four in a row and seven of eight. Brandon Boston Jr . added 23 points off the bench in a game that featured 22 lead changes and 10 ties.
“I like what we did in the fourth quarter in not letting him touch the ball as much,” Durant said about Hyland. “He’s a quick player, man, you got to give him credit. Hopefully, Bones gets an opportunity in this league to showcase how good of a player he is every night."
The Clippers, who already won the Pacific Division for the first time in 10 years, could have secured the fourth seed in the West with a win. They know their first-round playoff opponent will be Dallas, which beat Miami earlier Wednesday to set up the matchup.
“Down the stretch the game got away and we couldn't make a shot,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “I think the guys got tired.”
The Clippers started their second unit while Kawhi Leonard (knee), Paul George (knee), James Harden (foot) and Ivica Zubac (ankle) along with reserve Russell Westbrook (hand) had the night off. Leonard missed his sixth straight game.
The teams each scored 37 points in the third, with Amir Coffey scoring five in a row to send the Clippers into the fourth leading 93-92. Hyland hit back-to-back 3s, the second one off his own steal, early in the third.
Hyland scored 24 points in the first half, making 10 of 12 field goals and all four of his 3-pointers, to put the Clippers ahead 56-55 at the break.
The Suns outscored the Clippers 23-9 to open the second and take a 15-point lead. But Hyland had nine points in a 20-4 run, hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer, to close the half.
Jusuf Nurkic returned for the Suns after sitting out Tuesday because of a right ankle sprain. He had three points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists to help Phoenix win for the first time in four games with the Clippers this season.