PHOENIX—Paul George scored 33 points, Kawhi Leonard added 30 and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns 131–122 on Wednesday night, Jan. 3.
The surging Clippers have won four straight game and 13 of 15. The Suns had their four-game winning streak snapped.
George shot 8 of 14 from the field, going 5 of 10 from 3-point range. James Harden had 22 points and 11 assists.
The Clippers kept a comfortable lead throughout most of the second half—pushing the advantage to 23 points midway through the third—but the Suns made a run in the fourth quarter and cut it to 118–110 with 5:13 remaining.
L.A.’s Norman Powell responded with a 3 that helped the Clippers regain control. He scored 13 points off the bench.
Devin Booker led the Suns with 35 points on 11-of-15 shooting, with Kevin Durant missing his second straight game because of soreness in his right hamstring.
Bradley Beal added 21 but shot just 7 of 20 and missed all six of his 3-point attempts. Bol Bol scored 14 points, including two 3s.
Los Angeles never trailed, taking a 30–13 lead late in the first quarter, unleashing waves of offense against the overmatched Phoenix defense.
The Clippers led 70–51 at halftime after shooting 58.5% from the field, including 50% on 3-pointers.
George had 21 points before the break while Leonard and Terance Mann both had 12.
The Suns seemed more interested in sniping at the referees rather than playing defense.
Booker and Beal were both called for technical fouls in the first half.
Phoenix announced a 100th straight sellout crowd, counting regular season and postseason games.
Clippers: At New Orleans on Friday night.
Suns: Host Miami on Friday night.
