The injury report got worse right before tip. Cam Christie, listed as questionable in the preview, was ruled out with his ankle, joining Brandon Ingram, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Bradley Beal and Jordan Miller. The preview warned that losing even 1 more guard would leave very little behind Darius Garland, and that's what happened. Phoenix came in as the home favorite, and the board had it right.
The middle of the game is where it was decided. Phoenix put up 35 in the 2nd and 35 again in the 3rd, which is 70 points in 2 quarters from a team the preview said would have tired legs. It was 64-47 at the half and 99-72 heading into the 4th. That isn't a team dragging through the second night of a back-to-back. It's a team that got run off its own floor by San Antonio the night before and answered right away.
The one search for this recap didn't turn up a box score that matches the final, so there's no verified line for Devin Booker or Garland here. The line score tells you enough. You don't score 133 at home without real help, and the preview's worry that no Suns starter besides Booker could beat anybody never came up in a game Phoenix led by 27 after 3. On the other side, the Clippers' 38-point 4th quarter, their best of the night, came with the game already over. Garbage-time scoring doesn't tell you much about the offense.
The rest edge was the Clippers' best argument coming in. They had a day off and a short trip, and Phoenix was coming off a 26-point home loss to the Spurs. None of that showed up. The Suns gave up 110, which is less than the Clippers scored against New Orleans, and only allowed 47 in the 1st half. For the Clippers it's back to the same problem: Garland can't be the whole offense, and right now he has to be.
Phoenix moves to 4-6 and splits the back-to-back after looking lost against San Antonio. The Clippers fall to 2-8, and the win over the Pelicans is now 1 good night between a 7-game losing streak and this. Until Ingram or Beal gets back, nights like this are going to keep happening.
