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Suns guard Devin Booker discusses earning respect from officials and his early aggressiveness in a loss to the Clippers on Thursday at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Doug Haller/azcentral sports
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Ball and Fultz are two of the top prospects for the 2017 NBA draft.
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Suns forward Jared Dudley discusses the Suns’ winless road trip after a loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. Doug Haller/azcentral sports
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A look at how far NBA players once made it in the NCAA tournament.
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In the latest NBA Power Rankings, the Warriors are rolling, even without Kevin Durant. Meantime, the Clippers are struggling at the wrong time and the Nets are playing their best hoops of the season.
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Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker talks about his team’s loss against the Charlotte Hornets, March 26, 2017. (Doug Haller/azcentral sports)
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Suns guard Devin Booker discusses his 70-point game against the Boston Celtics.
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Suns coach Earl Watson discusses his team’s shortage of players and how that is starting to weigh on them after Thursday’s loss to the Nets in Brooklyn. Doug Haller/azcentral sports
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Suns forward Jared Dudley discusses recent team injuries and how that impacts a team resting a few star players, following Tuesday’s loss to the Miami Heat. Doug Haller/azcentral sports
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Dan Bickley and Mark Faller discuss the Indiana job opening, which could pull Steve Alford away from UCLA, and whether the Bruins would pursue Suns’ head coach Earl Watson. Video: azcentral sports
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NBA players who have tallied the most points, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals in a single game this season.
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In this week’s NBA Power Rankings, Russell Westbrook is leading the Thunder to a strong finish in the regular season.
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Suns point guard Tyler Ulis reacts to Friday’s home loss to the Magic.
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Kent Somers and Jay Dieffenbach discuss the Suns’ decision to shut down Eric Bledsoe for the season and the possibility of them getting UCLA’s Lonzo Ball? Video: azcentral sports
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USA TODAY Sports’ Sam Amick tells us why the Spurs will be hard-pressed to secure the top seed in the Western Conference.
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HoopsHype writer Alex Kennedy discusses some of the players who will be free agents this summer.
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Phoenix Suns center Alan Williams watches his mother, Jeri Williams, sworn in as Phoenix police chief in Chesapeake Energy Arena. (Paul Coro/azcentral sports)
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Hosted by head coach Earl Watson, who says the Suns “embrace and celebrate our youth.” Video: Phoenix Suns
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Devin Booker on Suns loss to Clippers
James Harden for MVP: Pros and Cons
Lonzo Ball vs. Markelle Fultz: Tale of the tape
Jared Dudley on Suns loss to Hawks
How far NBA players made it in NCAA tournament
NBA Power Rankings: Warriors surging ahead of playoffs
Devin Booker on Suns’ fall to Hornets
Devin Booker on his 70-point night
Earl Watson after Suns’ loss to Nets
Jared Dudley on Suns’ loss to Heat
Shot Clock: Would Earl Watson leave the Suns if the UCLA job were to open up?
NBA’s best statistical performances so far in 2016-17
NBA Power Rankings: Russell Westbrook continues to carry Thunder
Tyler Ulis on Suns’ loss to Magic
Shot Clock: Eric Bledsoe is out, maybe UCLA’s Lonzo Ball is in?
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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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