Griffin, Paul lead Clippers to 120-100 win over Suns
PHOENIX (AP) - Blake Griffin and Chris Paul scored 23 points each and the Los Angeles Clippers used a 15-0 fourth-quarter run to beat the Phoenix Suns 120-100 on Sunday night.
J.J. Redick scored 20 and DeAndre Jordan added 18 for the Clippers, who are 3-0 against the Suns this season. Los Angeles has won nine of its past 11 against Phoenix.
Isaiah Thomas scored 25 points and Eric Bledsoe added 17 for the Suns, who have lost two straight after winning seven in a row at home.
Marcus Morris gave the Suns a 64-63 lead on a layup with 7:47 to go in the third quarter. But the Clippers, led by a 20-foot step-back jumper from Griffin and five points from Paul, outscored Phoenix 11-1 over the next two minutes to open a 74-65 lead.
Spencer Hawes gave the Clippers their biggest lead to that point, 85-72, with 1:52 left in the third with consecutive 3-pointers.
The Suns made a final rally early in the fourth. After Paul gave the Clippers an eight-point lead with 8:19 left, Isaiah Thomas and Gerald Green hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull Phoenix to 96-94 with 7:30 to go.
But Redick hit a 3, Paul scored four points and the Clippers had their 15-0 run to open a 111-94 lead with 3:53 to play.
TIP-INS
Clippers: Griffin shot 11 of 19 from the floor and added seven assists and six rebounds. ... The Clippers won for only the second time in eight road games when trailing at halftime. Phoenix led 57-55 at the half. ... Los Angeles, which plays host to Denver on Monday, is 5-6 in the first half of back-to-back games this season. ... Matt Barnes, who entered the game averaging 9.8 points per game, finished with four on 1 of 9 shooting, including 0 for 4 from 3-point range. He also was hit with a technical foul after getting called for an offensive foul in the second.
Suns: The Suns fell to 4-2 over the first six games of their franchise-high eight-game homestand. ... Phoenix was without reserve forward Brandan Wright, out with a sore foot. Wright had averaged 4.4 points in 18 minutes over his past five games. ... Guard Goran Dragic played the second half with a golf ball size knot on his right elbow. Dragic collided with Clippers guard Chris Paul and fell hard to the court late in the first half, leading to the swelling.
GET A "T'', GRAB SOME PINE
Phoenix forward Markieff Morris was whistled for a technical foul following a play on which he was pushed in the air while on a fast break by the Clippers' Matt Barnes. Morris sank both free throws and played another 33 seconds before going to the bench, where he spent the final 21 minutes-plus of the game. Morris is the second Suns player in two games to be benched after getting a technical. Goran Dragic sat out nearly all of the second half on Friday after he was whistled.
CLIPS' JORDAN KEEPS ROLLING
Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who entered the game shooting 86.8 percent from the floor in his last five games, was 5 for 5 on Sunday. Jordan's range slipped only at the free-throw line, where he tossed up an air ball in the first quarter. Jordan, who is on pace to post the highest single season field goal percentage in league history, raised his percentage to 73.3.
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host Denver on Monday.
Suns: Host Washington on Wednesday.