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No matter how hard the Suns fought Thursday night, staying with the Los Angeles Clippers down to the final minutes, the difference in personnel was jarring. After all, the Clippers closed with three All-Stars on the court, while the Suns did so with three rookies.

Those situations usually don’t end well, and so it went at Talking Stick Resort Arena, the Suns losing 124-118, their 10th in a row in front of 16,736 fans.

“We’re fighting out there,” guard Devin Booker said. “We’re trying to get wins. We know it’s the end of the season. A lot of teams are shut down, but we’re young in this league. We’re trying to make a name for ourselves, so we’re out here competing.”

The Suns fell to 22-54. Behind Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan – all All-Stars at one point in their careers – the Clippers improved to 46-31.

“Look at the starting lineup for ours versus theirs, and we still had a chance to win,” Suns coach Earl Watson said. “Our belief is really high, and really, we’re not that far away.”

BOX SCORE: Clipper 124, Suns 118

Back after missing Tuesday’s loss in Atlanta with ankle soreness, Booker posted his 12th 30-point scoring night of the season before fouling out with 4:45 left in the fourth quarter. With Phoenix trailing 111-106, Los Angeles guard J.J. Redick got Booker off his feet, drawing his sixth foul. Watson didn’t like the call.

“I thought he established position,” Watson said. “He went up and came straight back down. (Redick) kind of jumped into him. To me, it’s a no-call, but referees sometimes they see something different.”

Said Booker: “I should’ve stayed down. Stay on your feet. Simple basketball.”

The Suns didn’t help themselves, making 13 of 24 from the foul line. In the fourth quarter, they were 5 of 12. With the game in doubt, forward T.J. Warren missed four in the final 2 1/2 minutes.

“That hurt us a lot,” Watson said. “Being down 10 attempts (the Clippers were 24 of 34 from the foul line), that also hurt us.”

NOTES: Kentucky coach John Calipari visits former players with the Suns

Officials whistled Phoenix for 27 fouls, the Clippers for 21.

“We know we haven’t earned the respect from the referees yet,” Booker said. “We just have to continue playing through it. That’s just how we have to be if we’re going to get wins. It can’t be a pretty win for us. Everything’s going to have to be chippy. And we’re going to have to fight for it.”

At the same time, fouling has been an issue for the Suns all season. Entering Thursday, the Suns led the NBA with 24.9 fouls per game. No team over the last decade has finished a season with a higher average.

“We’ve been one of the worst fouling teams all year,” forward Jared Dudley said, “so you shouldn’t get the benefit of the doubt.”

Still, even with Booker (33 points, nine assists) on the bench, the Suns didn’t go away. Dudley and Warren teamed with rookies Tyler Ulis, Marquese Chriss and Derrick Jones Jr. to make a push. With 3:43 left, Chriss scored inside to pull the Suns within 114-112. After the Clippers went up 120-114, Ulis scored off a driving layup but the Suns couldn’t get closer.

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“(Tonight) was a struggle,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “You could see our guys trying to get it going, trying to get some energy. They destroyed us in the 50/50 game. They won every loose-ball battle and that kept them in the game.”

Playing in front of his college coach – Kentucky’s John Calipari – Ulis had 16 points and 13 assists with two turnovers in 40 minutes. Chriss added 20 points and six rebounds. Jones chipped in 10 points.

The Clippers shot 55 percent, making 12 of 22 from 3-point range. Paul had 29 points and 10 assists. Griffin scored 31 points.

“We’re going to have tough games when we fight back against veteran teams and we’re going to have teams that kind of handle us,” Chriss said. “We just got to turn it around and switch the tempo of the game. Just us growing and gaining experience are the biggest things we take away from this.”

Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at [email protected]

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