James Harden scored 30 points and Kawhi Leonard added 27 to lead the Los Angeles Clippers (1-1) to a 129-102 home-opener win over the Phoenix Suns (1-1) on Friday night.
Derrick Jones Jr. contributed 17 points without missing a shot, making five 3-pointers as the Clippers shot 55% from beyond the arc. Los Angeles bounced back from a 21-point loss to Utah in their season opener.
Harden also recorded seven rebounds and seven assists while making all nine of his free throws and five 3-pointers. Leonard’s scoring included eight points during a third-quarter 12-0 run that gave the Clippers a 32-point lead, their largest of the game.
The Suns were paced by Dillon Brooks with 21 points and Devin Booker with 18 points and seven assists. Phoenix could not replicate their season-opening comeback over Sacramento after falling behind by large deficits in the second and third quarters.
Los Angeles opened the second quarter with a 12-0 run to take a 72-56 halftime lead. The Clippers started the third the same way, with another 12-0 spurt that included a 3-pointer from Jones and eight points from Leonard.
John Collins dunked during the third quarter to extend the Clippers’ lead to 32 points. Brooks and Booker combined for 16 of Phoenix’s 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Suns fell further behind 106-77.
The Clippers’ bench supported the starters with contributions from Nicolas Batum, John Collins, and Chris Paul. Los Angeles dominated the paint while shooting efficiently from long range, limiting Phoenix’s ability to mount a comeback.
The Clippers will host the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, while the Suns travel to Denver on Saturday night.
