The LA Clippers fell 115-102 to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night at the Mortgage Matchup Center, and head coach Tyronn Lue spoke candidly about his team’s defensive struggles.
Lue said, “We gave some threes early on and then was in scramble mode. They had us in closeout situations and they were driving and kicking and we couldn’t really keep up their pace of how they attack the paint.” The third quarter proved decisive as Phoenix scored 40 points, putting the Clippers in a difficult position.
The coach noted the challenge of defending in the modern NBA, explaining, “Teams are looking and they’re hunting threes. When you have you in rotations and you’re in scramble mode, like it’s hard to really get out to shoot, especially the way everybody’s shooting the ball in the league nowadays.” Lue highlighted that Los Angeles gave up several open looks due to defensive rotations, resulting in multiple three-pointers during the third quarter.
Despite the loss, Lue praised the performance of the Clippers’ younger players. “I thought their energy was good… they came back, cut it to 10 or 11 and just the style of play, just the effort, their energy,” he said, referencing Kobe Brown and Cam Christie. Christie scored 17 points off the bench in 25 minutes, providing a spark as the Clippers tried to reduce the deficit.
Lue also addressed Bradley Beal’s struggles in his return to Phoenix. “The most important thing is just getting to his spots, getting there with pop, with pace and he did a good job and he turned down a couple as well,” Lue said. Beal shot 2 of 14 for five points in a game where he faced boos from the Suns crowd.
The Clippers were missing James Harden, out for personal reasons, and Kawhi Leonard, sidelined with a right ankle sprain. Ivica Zubac led the team with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while John Collins added 13 and Bogdan Bogdanovic contributed 12. The loss dropped Los Angeles to 3-5 on the season.
Phoenix was led by Jalen Green, who made a strong debut after missing the first eight games with a hamstring strain, scoring 29 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Devin Booker added 24 points, and Grayson Allen contributed 18 despite playing through illness. Royce O’Neale’s 17 points, including 11 in the third quarter, helped extend Phoenix’s lead and secure the 115-102 victory.
The Clippers will aim to rebound when they face the Suns again on Saturday in Inglewood, while Phoenix looks to build momentum off Green’s debut and a dominant third-quarter performance.
