After a rough road trip, the LA Clippers got a much needed win against the Phoenix Suns. Last night was the first blow out win for the Clippers, since their game against the Mavericks on November 1st. Los Angeles led by as many as 25 points, and never trailed during the entire game. The Clippers played the aggressive offensive game they needed to play, shooting 47% from the field & grabbing 50 rebounds.
LA was led by Austin Rivers, who posted 21 points (50% shooting), and 6 assists. Rivers has done a great job of becoming a facilitator in the wake of the Clippers’ devastating injuries. The Clippers had 6 different players putting up 11+ points.
TJ Warren led the way for the Suns, putting up 22 points and 10 rebounds. However, he shot only 37% from the field. The entire Suns team struggled from the field, due to the Clippers’ great defense this game.
Aggressive Offense
The Clippers needed to play aggressive offense against the Suns’ poor defense, and that’s exactly what they did. Suns head coach Jay Triano spoke about the offense:
[The offense] bothered us. We knew they were going to be aggressive. We didn’t move the ball the way we normally have been moving the ball.
Suns forward Josh Jackson also spoke about the aggressive offense:
It threw us off a little bit, just because we weren’t expecting it.
The aggressiveness allowed for the Clippers to move the basketball and penetrate the basket for high percentage shots.
👀😵
📸 https://t.co/o1yQFQ4t6M
📺#PrimeTicket pic.twitter.com/7kDgfHGBSq— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 21, 2017
The end result was six different Clipper players scoring in double figures.
Defense
You could tell that the Clippers’ aggressive offense affected the Suns’ psyche. The lead ballooned early, and Suns players began standing around on offense. Once the Suns started standing around, the Clippers feasted on the defensive end. Los Angeles held the Suns to only 36% from the field and 22% from three.
The Final Clip: This was a fantastic morale boosting win for the Clippers. It was exactly what they needed before going out on the road again.
Highlight play of the night:
📸 https://t.co/o1yQFQ4t6M
📺#PrimeTicket pic.twitter.com/QMBy0kk3Mi— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 21, 2017
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