Clippers move to 3-0, keep Suns winless
LOS ANGELES -- Chris Paul scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half and the Los Angeles Clippers routed the winless Phoenix Suns 116-98 on Monday night at Staples Center.
Paul also had eight assists and five rebounds. Blake Griffin added 21 points, 11 rebounds and five assists for the Clippers (3-0).
Clippers center DeAndre Jordan didn't seem to show any ill effects from a sprained rright thumb suffered in Sunday's win over the Utah Jazz, finishing with 19 point and 11 boards. Jamal Crawford added 14 points and J.J. Redick scored 13.
The Suns were without guard Devin Booker, who sat out with a sore right big toe. Booker apparently aggravated the injury in Sunday's 106-100 loss to Golden State.
Brandon Knight started in Booker's place and led the Suns with 18 points. T.J. Warren had 15 points and Alex Lin came off the bench to score 13 for Phoenix (0-4).
Eric Bledsoe contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Suns.
Los Angeles broke the game open midway through the third quarter. Two free throws by Knight allowed the Suns to close within 56-55 with 7:12 remaining in the quarter. However, the Clippers used a 22-9 spurt, capped by two foul shots by Marreese Speights, for a 78-63 lead with 1:56 left in the third.
The Suns never recovered.
The Clippers rallied from a 31-28 deficit in the second quarter with a 16-5 run for a 44-33 advantage after dunk by Griffin with 3:14 left in the second quarter. They led 48-36 at the break, outscoring the Suns 24-12 in the second.
Fifteen first-half turnovers, 11 of those in the second quarter, also hurt the Suns. The Clippers committed nine miscues, four of those occurring in the second quarter.
Overall, Phoenx turned the ball over 21 times (leading to 16 points) compared with 16 (23 points) for Los Angeles.
The Clippers outshot the Suns 50 percent to 41.7 percent from the field.
NOTES: Clippers coach Doc Rivers said Suns F T.J. Warren, who led Phoenix in scoring at 23.3 points per game coming in, caught his eye early last season. "He's a professional scorer at a young age," Rivers said. "He had an awful game that game against us, but you could see the raw ability that he has. He has timing, feel, change of pace. He's going to be a great scorer in our league." ... Suns coach Earl Watson said PG Chris Paul, not F Blake Griffin or C DeAndre Jordan, remains the most integral player for the Clippers. "Chris is a coach on the floor, he reads the game, everything he does is with a purpose," Watson said. ... Both clubs resume play Wednesday at home. Phoenix plays the Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles meets the Oklahoma City Thunder.