Clippers Face Setback at Footprint Center Against Suns in Game 2
The Los Angeles Clippers, with a season record of 44-38, faced off against the Phoenix Suns, who held a record of 45-37. The game concluded with the Clippers falling short as the scoreboard read 109-123 in favor of the home team.
At the Footprint Center in Phoenix, fans witnessed an intense matchup between two competitive teams. The Los Angeles Clippers started strong, leading by as many as 13 points and maintaining control for over twenty minutes. However, their efforts were not enough to secure victory against a determined Suns squad.
The Clippers showcased their offensive capabilities by sinking half of their second-chance attempts and claiming 21 points from these opportunities. They also demonstrated accuracy from the free-throw line with an impressive ninety percent conversion rate on thirty-one attempts. From beyond the arc, they hit eleven three-pointers at a thirty-seven percent clip.
Despite these efforts, turnovers proved costly for the LA team; they gave up fifteen points off turnovers while only managing to force eleven on their opponents. The team's bench contributed significantly with thirty bench points but it was not enough to counteract the Suns' performance.
On defense, there were bright spots for the Clippers as they tallied seven steals and four blocks throughout the game. However, containing their opponents proved challenging; they allowed fifty-eight percent field goal shooting and forty-two percent from three-point range to Phoenix.
The Suns capitalized on this defensive lapse by scoring thirty-eight points in paint compared to forty-four by LA and converting seventy percent of second-chance shots into fifteen additional points. Their ball movement was superior too; dishing out thirty assists which facilitated better shot selection and led them to build up a fourteen-point lead at one stage during play.
As both teams fought hard on court – reflected by five ties and two lead changes – it was ultimately Phoenix's more efficient play that saw them emerge victorious before an audience of seventeen thousand seventy-one spectators who filled Footprint Center that evening.
Looking ahead after this tough loss on road soil for LA fans is another chance for redemption when Los Angeles Clippers host Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on April 20th at 7:30 PM local time (PST). Fans can catch all action live nationally via NBA TV channel two hundred sixteen or locally through BSSC channel six hundred ninety-three or BSAZ channel six hundred eighty-six depending where you are tuning in from.