The Sports Xchange
Dec 21, 2017
LOS ANGELES -- Austin Rivers scored 21 points, while Lou Williams had 18 off the bench as the Los Angeles Clippers ran away with a 108-95 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday to end a three-game losing streak.
The Clippers (12-18) clamped down a young Suns team with a suffocating defense that held Phoenix to 31.9 percent shooting in the first half and 36.1 percent for the game. Los Angeles' DeAndre Jordan hauled down 20 rebounds and added 12 points.
The Suns (11-22) saw their two-game win streak end. They have yet to win three consecutive games this season.
C.J. Williams scored 12 points, while Jamil Wilson and Montrezl Harrell had 11 each as the Clippers won their third consecutive home game. They went 1-3 on a just-completed road trip to Orlando, Washington, Miami and San Antonio.
Playing without leading scorer Devin Booker, sidelined since sustaining a left adductor strain on Dec. 5, the Suns had few answers on offense. Phoenix's TJ Warren finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Josh Jackson had 17.
The Phoenix bench, which averaged 62 points per game during the team's brief winning streak, had 40 Wednesday, with just nine coming in the first half.
Williams, the Clippers' high-scoring reserve guard, shot 6 of 18 from the field after missing the Monday loss to the Spurs with a right foot sprain. Point guard Milos Teodosic had eight assists for the Clippers, his most since returning to action Dec. 11 following a left foot injury.
The Clippers are 4-7 since losing forward Blake Griffin to a left knee sprain on Nov. 30. Griffin is expected to be out for another month. The Suns are 2-5 since losing Booker, who is expected to return in two to three weeks.
NOTES: Clippers F Danilo Gallinari will be out of action longer than expected after a scan revealed Wednesday that he has a partial tear in his left glute. Gallinari has played just two games since Nov. 5 because of two separate glute injuries. ... With his 20 rebounds Wednesday, Clippers C DeAndre Jordan leads the NBA with an average of 17.4 rebounds per game in December. ... G Isiah Canaan, the first player in Suns history to score 15-plus points and grab five-plus assists in his first two games with the team while coming off the bench, had 10 points and three assists as a reserve Wednesday in his third game. ... With six rebounds, Suns C Tyson Chandler now has 9,900 for his career, 40th all-time.