Final: Clippers 116, Suns 98

The Suns dropped their 4th straight game to start the season to the Clippers tonight, 116 to 98.

The Clippers were led by their big 3 of Chris Paul (24 points, 8 assists), Blake Griffin (21 points, 11 rebounds) and DeAndre Jordan (19 points, 11 rebounds). The team also had strong contributions from Jamal Crawford (14 points), J.J. Redick (13 points) and Austin Rivers (8 points).

The Suns were led by Brandon Knight, who had 18 points, and Eric Bledsoe, who had 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. T.J. Warren finished with 15, while Alex Len had 13.

The story was one of inconsistency for the Suns tonight. They started the 1st quarter well before falling behind by double digits in the 2nd quarter. The team came back out to nearly tie it up in the 3rd, before falling away quickly in the 4th.

Foul trouble and turnovers were major problems for the team. The team had 20 turnovers, with only Leandro Barbosa being able to claim he didn’t commit to the total. Four players (Tyson Chandler, Jared Dudley, Alex Len and Marquese Chriss) ended the game with 4 fouls or more, with Chandler fouling out after 18 minutes in the middle of the 4th quarter.

Griffin and Jordan really were disruptive for the Suns, particularly after the 1st quarter. Griffin himself drew 14 free throws, while Jordan shot 8 of 10 from the field.

Devin Booker missed the game with a sprained toe, and the rest of the Young Suns were a mixed bag. Tyler Ulis played 18 minutes, was 1-5 shooting with 6 assists, and struggled defensively against the bigger, savvier Paul. Chriss played 18 minutes and shot fairly well, but had a couple of poor defensive sets attempting to guard the bigs of LA. Dragan Bender played only 7 minutes, most in garbage time, but continued to demonstrate his strong court vision, getting two quick assists. He struggled defending the interior, but looked a little more comfortable on the perimeter. Alan ‘Big Sauce’ Williams made his first appearance of the season, playing 4 minutes to close out the game.

The Suns will seek their first win of the season when they play next on Wednesday, November 2nd, against the Portland Trail Blazers.