Game ID: 22400889
LA Clippers @ Phoenix Suns
Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at 10:00 PM ET
PHX Arena, Phoenix, AZ
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
PHX 30 19 27 43 119LAC 24 41 30 22 117
LAC @ PHX ScoutingLAC @ 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.
PHX availability going into 2/25 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 5 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Durant back 2/11 after 3, 40 min since (111% of 36)
BACK Beal back 2/20 after 4, 37 min since (117% of 32)
BACK Ighodaro back 2/23 after 4, 1 min since (7% of 17)
BACK Gillespie back 2/23 after 2, 1 min since (9% of 14)
NEW O'Neale 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Bol 12 to 19 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 6 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 2/20 after 4, 39 min since (121% of 32)
BACK Ighodaro back 2/23 after 4, 1 min since (7% of 17)
BACK Gillespie back 2/23 after 2, 1 min since (9% of 14)
NEW Bol 12 to 19 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 2/28 · back-to-backOUT Ighodaro missed 2 since 2/25, returns tonight: 2 min (10% of 17)
OUT Morris missed 7 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 2/20 after 4, 39 min since (121% of 32)
BACK Gillespie back 2/23 after 2, 3 min since (20% of 14)
NEW Bol 12 to 18 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 2 since 2/27, returns tonight: 34 min (104% of 32)
OUT Morris missed 8 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Ighodaro back 2/23 after 4, 1 min since (8% of 17)
BACK Gillespie back 2/23 after 2, 8 min since (56% of 14)
NEW Bol 12 to 21 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/04 · 1 day's restOUT Morris missed 9 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 2, 34 min since (104% of 32)
BACK Ighodaro back 2/23 after 4, 2 min since (9% of 17)
BACK Gillespie back 2/23 after 2, 6 min since (45% of 14)
NEW Bol 12 to 24 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/07 · 2 days' restOUT Morris missed 10 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 2, 24 min since (75% of 32)
BACK Ighodaro back 2/28 after 2, 2 min since (10% of 17)
NEW Bol 12 to 24 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/09 · 1 day's restOUT Dunn missed 2 since 3/04, returns tonight: 2 min (8% of 19)
OUT Ighodaro missed 2 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 11 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 2, 30 min since (92% of 32)
NEW Bol 12 to 21 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/10 · back-to-backOUT Ighodaro missed 3 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 12 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 2, 29 min since (92% of 32)
BACK Dunn back 3/09 after 2, 2 min since (8% of 19)
NEW Bol 12 to 18 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Ighodaro missed 4 since 3/04, returns tonight: 28 min (166% of 17)
OUT Morris missed 13 since 2/11, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 2, 29 min since (92% of 32)
BACK Dunn back 3/09 after 2, 1 min since (5% of 19)
NEW Plumlee 18 to 24 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 2/24 · back-to-backOUT Powell missed 2 since 2/20, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 4 since 2/12, out tonight
NEW Simmons 15 to 24 min over the last 3
LAC availability going into 2/26 · 1 day's restOUT Leonard missed 2 since 2/23, returns tonight: 33 min (100% of 33)
OUT Powell missed 3 since 2/20, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 5 since 2/12, out tonight
NEW Dunn 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Simmons 15 to 24 min over the last 3
LAC availability going into 2/28 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 4 since 2/20, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 6 since 2/12, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 2/26 after 2, 33 min since (100% of 33)
NEW Dunn 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Simmons 15 to 22 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 5 since 2/20, returns tonight: 9 min (27% of 33)
OUT Miller missed 7 since 2/12, returns tonight: 5 min (48% of 11)
BACK Leonard back 2/26 after 2, 35 min since (108% of 33)
NEW Dunn 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Simmons 15 to 20 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 3/04 · 1 day's restBACK Leonard back 2/26 after 2, 37 min since (112% of 33)
BACK Powell back 3/02 after 5, 9 min since (27% of 33)
BACK Miller back 3/02 after 7, 5 min since (48% of 11)
NEW Dunn 24 to 29 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/05 · back-to-backOUT Jones Jr. missed 2 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Simmons missed 2 since 3/02, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 2/26 after 2, 37 min since (112% of 33)
BACK Powell back 3/02 after 5, 9 min since (27% of 33)
BACK Miller back 3/02 after 7, 8 min since (70% of 11)
NEW Dunn 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 23 to 29 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/07 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 2 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Jones Jr. missed 3 since 3/02, returns tonight: 18 min (74% of 24)
OUT Simmons missed 3 since 3/02, out tonight
BACK Leonard back 2/26 after 2, 37 min since (112% of 33)
BACK Miller back 3/02 after 7, 11 min since (98% of 11)
NEW Dunn 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 23 to 30 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/09 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 3 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Simmons missed 4 since 3/02, out tonight
BACK Jones Jr. back 3/07 after 3, 18 min since (74% of 24)
BACK Miller back 3/02 after 7, 11 min since (98% of 11)
NEW Leonard 33 to 38 min over the last 4
NEW Dunn 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 23 to 31 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/11 · 1 day's restOUT Powell missed 4 since 3/04, out tonight
OUT Simmons missed 5 since 3/02, out tonight
OUT Miller missed 2 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Jones Jr. back 3/07 after 3, 23 min since (95% of 24)
NEW Leonard 33 to 38 min over the last 4
NEW Dunn 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Bogdanović 23 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Batum 18 to 24 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 125, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Beal at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 113, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and Harden at 22 a game. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to the Clippers' 31 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 113 a night to Phoenix's 125. Call it Phoenix 115, the Clippers 113, the Clippers keeping it close.
2/25 @ MEM 148-151 — PHX notes
PHX lost 148-151 in 1 overtime. PHX shot 54% (53 of 99) to MEM's 53%, 21 of 37 from three. Booker led with 28 (12 of 20, 2 of 4 from three); Durant added 26, Beal 24. Q1 was theirs, 34-31, but the other 4 periods went 120-114 against them. They led by as many as 10. Bol's -12 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/27 vs NOP 116-124 — PHX notes
PHX lost 116-124. PHX shot 47% (44 of 94) to NOP's 48%, 20 of 53 from three. Booker led with 36 (13 of 29, 6 of 16 from three); Durant added 28, Jones 15. Q2 was theirs, 32-26, turning a 5-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 98-84 against them. Allen's -22 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/28 vs NOP 125-108 — PHX notes
PHX won 125-108. PHX shot 59% (47 of 79) to NOP's 51%, 21 of 40 from three. Bol led with 25 (9 of 12, 5 of 8 from three); Richards added 19, O'Neale 18. The hinge was Q1, 40-18: from level to 22 ahead, and the lead reached 29. Plumlee was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
3/02 vs MIN 98-116 — PHX notes
PHX lost 98-116. PHX shot 44% (35 of 80) to MIN's 42%, 13 of 42 from three. PHX turned it over 20 times to MIN's 8, and MIN turned those into 18 steals. The glass went 57-35 for them. Durant led with 26 (10 of 23, 3 of 9 from three, 3 of 7 at the line); Beal added 18, Booker 17. Q1 was theirs, 34-28, but the other 3 periods went 88-64 against them. They led by as many as 12. Booker's -26 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/04 vs LAC 119-117 — PHX notes
PHX won 119-117. PHX shot 51% (41 of 80) to LAC's 52%, 14 of 34 from three. PHX turned it over 11 times to LAC's 6, and LAC turned those into 8 steals. Durant led with 34 (10 of 22, 4 of 11 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Booker added 17, Richards 16. The hinge was Q4, 43-22: PHX came in trailing by 19 and left it ahead by 2. PHX trailed 49-65 at the half and won the second half 70-52.
3/07 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Murray at 23 and Jokić at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Gordon (3 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 123, shooting 51 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; Durant at 26 and Booker at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 43 percent from three to Denver's 37 and the defense, Denver allowing 115 a night to Phoenix's 123. Call it Denver 121, Phoenix 115.
3/09 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 122, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 20 free throws a game; Irving at 21 and Thompson at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. Without Washington (3 straight), Davis (11 straight), Lively II (24 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 123, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Booker at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Dunn (2 straight), Ighodaro (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-5 a night and Dallas minus-13 and the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to Dallas's 31. Call it Phoenix 117, Dallas 116, Dallas keeping it close.
3/10 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 20 free throws a game; Morant at 29 and Bane at 27 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Jackson Jr. (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 121, shooting 54 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 25 and Booker at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Ighodaro (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Memphis wins, and the game turns on the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to Memphis's 31. Call it Memphis 121, Phoenix 117, Phoenix keeping it close.
3/12 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sengun at 20 and Brooks at 18 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without VanVleet (5 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 124, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 23 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Booker at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Ighodaro (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 110 a night to Phoenix's 124. Call it Houston 119, Phoenix 112.
2/24 @ DET 97-106 — LAC notes
LAC lost 97-106. LAC took 13 more shots (92 to 79), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 40% to DET's 46%, 11 of 41 from three, and got to the line 19 times to DET's 36. Harden led with 18 (5 of 22, 3 of 11 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Jones Jr. added 15, Zubac 13. Q2 was theirs, 32-28, the deficit cut from 6 to 2, but the other 3 periods went 78-65 against them. Harden's -22 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/26 @ CHI 122-117 — LAC notes
LAC won 122-117. LAC shot 52% (44 of 85) to CHI's 49%, 19 of 37 from three, and went to the line 17 times to CHI's 11 — 15 points from the stripe to their 6. Harden led with 30 (9 of 20, 7 of 14 from three); Coffey added 20, Leonard 17. The hinge was Q3, 39-33: LAC came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 5. LAC trailed 59-60 at the half and won the second half 63-57. Simmons was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
2/28 @ LAL 102-106 — LAC notes
LAC lost 102-106. LAC shot 45% (39 of 87) to LAL's 49%, 9 of 37 from three. Zubac led with 27 (13 of 15); Leonard added 21, Harden 18. Q4 was theirs, 25-23, the deficit cut from 6 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 83-77 against them. They led by as many as 10. Bogdanović's -20 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/02 @ LAL 102-108 — LAC notes
LAC lost 102-108. LAC took 11 more shots (88 to 77), fed by 10 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to LAL's 49%, 12 of 39 from three. Leonard led with 33 (13 of 23, 3 of 7 from three); Dunn added 15, Harden 13. Q4 was theirs, 25-19, the deficit cut from 12 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 89-77 against them. Harden's -18 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/04 @ PHX 117-119 — LAC notes
LAC lost 117-119. LAC shot 52% (43 of 83) to PHX's 51%, 8 of 30 from three. LAC turned it over 6 times to PHX's 11. Zubac led with 35 (15 of 19, 5 of 6 at the line); Harden added 21, Leonard 21. Q2 was theirs, 41-19, turning a 6-point deficit into a 16-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 100-76 against them. They led by as many as 23. Eubanks's -24 in 11 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/05 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Leonard at 23 and Harden at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Jones Jr. (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Detroit comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 106, shooting 51 percent and 34 from three, 27 free throws a game; Cunningham at 22 and Beasley at 17 a game. Without Harper Jr. (12 straight). One day's rest.
So: Detroit wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Detroit takes 27 free throws a game to the Clippers' 20. Call it Detroit 113, the Clippers 110, the Clippers keeping it close.
3/07 vs NYK — 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 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Harden at 26 and Leonard at 23 a game. Without Powell (2 straight), Jones Jr. (3 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 29 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brunson at 30 and Anunoby at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the arc, the Clippers at 37 percent from three to New York's 29. Call it the Clippers 114, New York 110, New York keeping it close.
3/09 vs SAC — 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 110 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Harden at 26 and Leonard at 24 a game. Without Powell (3 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 105, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 16 free throws a game; LaVine at 24 and DeRozan at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Sabonis (3 straight), Monk (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Sacramento at 42 percent from three to the Clippers' 34 and the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-6 a night and the Clippers minus-1. Call it Sacramento 112, the Clippers 111, the Clippers keeping it close.
3/11 @ NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 124, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Williamson at 25 and Murphy III at 21 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Brooks Jr. (12 straight), Payton (43 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Harden at 28 and Leonard at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Powell (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 109 a night to New Orleans's 124. Call it the Clippers 115, New Orleans 112, New Orleans keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXBB B. Beal
BB B. Bol
CG C. Gillespie
DB D. Booker
GA G. Allen
KD K. Durant
MP M. Plumlee
NR N. Richards
RO R. O'Neale
TJ T. Jones
LACAC A. Coffey
BB B. Bogdanović
DE D. Eubanks
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
JM J. Miller
KD K. Dunn
KL K. Leonard
NB N. Batum
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
Durant scores 34, Suns rally from 23-point deficit in 2nd half to beat the Clippers 119-117
PHOENIX -- — Kevin Durant scored 34 points, Devin Booker added 17 and the Phoenix Suns rallied from a 23-point deficit late in the third quarter to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 119-117 on Tuesday night.
The Suns trailed by 19 entering the fourth but came all the way back thanks to big buckets from Durant and backup guard Collin Gillespie . Phoenix had a 43-22 advantage in the fourth, reviving its playoff hopes.
Gillespie scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2 for 3 from 3-point range, to give the Suns a much-needed spark in the second half. Nick Richards added 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
The Clippers lost despite Ivica Zubac 's 35 points — a career high. He added 10 rebounds and shot 15 of 19 from the field. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden both scored 21.
Harden made a 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the third quarter to give the Clippers an 89-66 lead. But then Booker answered with a 3 and the Suns slowly clawed their way back.
Phoenix won all four games against the Clippers this season.
Takeaways Clippers: Zubac was amazing but it's a tough loss for the Clippers, who lost ground in the Western Conference playoff race.
Suns: Could this be the moment that turns the season around for the Suns? It's been a frustrating year in the desert but Tuesday's comeback gives hope that the team can climb back into the playoff picture. Gillespie might have earned himself a spot in the rotation after a stellar performance.
Key moment Gillespie — who has spent a big chunk of this season in the G League — hit a 3-pointer with 36 seconds left to give the Suns a 119-114 lead.
Key stat Durant and Gillespie combined for 29 points in the fourth quarter.
Up next Clippers host the Pistons on Wednesday; Suns at Nuggets on Friday.