Clippers Have Off Night Again, but Suns Are Even Worse, 98-84

Nagging inconsistency, which has been the Clippers’ trademark this season, crept into their performance again Friday night against the Phoenix Suns. Only this time, it was more of a moment-to-moment problem instead of game-to-game. There were times Friday when the Clippers played some of their best basketball of the season, building leads of 11 and seven points in the second and third quarters, respectively. Then, there were stretches when they turned over the ball on eight of nine possessions and they considered it an achievement just to make it safely into the front court. But as inexplicably inconsistent as the Clippers played at times, there were enough good moments and solid defense to lift them to a 98-84 victory over the Suns, who played consistently poorly before a Veterans Memorial Coliseum crowd of 11,034. It was the third straight win for the unpredictable Clippers, who have bounced back well from their recent seven-game losing streak. They will take a 17-21 record into tonight’s game (8:05) against Golden State at Oakland. While acknowledging that the state of the art was not pretty, the Clippers seemingly couldn’t care less after Friday’s triumph. “You don’t want to look negatively on a positive situation,” forward Marques Johnson said. “Phoenix is a good team. We had to play well just to beat them. But during the course of a game, there are going to be lapses. We’ve had a history of turning over the ball.” Despite committing 24 turnovers and shooting just 45.3%, there were lots of positives for the Clippers. They dominated the Suns on the boards, holding a 55-40 edge, and they saw point guard Norm Nixon return to full form after being hobbled recently by a sprained ankle. Nixon scored a game-high 24 points, 12 coming in the fourth quarter when the Clippers went on a 14-2 run in the final four minutes to finally put the Suns to rest. Derek Smith, Nixon’s running mate in backcourt, added 23 points while Johnson had 17 and Junior Bridgeman 16. But on a night when the Clippers’ offense faded in and out like a distant radio signal, their defense was continuously pressuring the Suns. Phoenix shot a dismal 38.2%, committed 18 turnovers and was unable to penetrate inside against Clipper big men Bill Walton and James Donaldson.

Only forward Larry Nance was a factor inside, leading Phoenix with 23 points. “We turned the ball over more than we’d like, but defense kept us in it,” Clipper Coach Jim Lynam said. “When we blew the leads in the second and third quarters because of turnovers, we kept our poise enough that we didn’t get in a big hole.” Granted, part of the reason the Clippers didn’t fall far behind when their offense fell apart was poise and a belief that it sooner or later had to end. But the Suns were able to score on only half the Clippers’ 24 turnovers. Exhibit A: Leading, 77-73, early in the fourth quarter, the Clippers proceeded to commit five turnovers. They ranged from Bryan Warrick carrying the ball, to Johnson dribbling out of bounds to Walton having a basket taken away for grabbing the rim with one hand and laying the ball in with the other. But when the fog lifted on the Clippers’ offense, they trailed by only two points (79-77) with 7:32 left. They quickly reclaimed the lead and never relinquished it. All told, it was a bizarre game for the Clippers. For example: --Walton scored only two points, but did it without having the ball go through the hoop. He was shut out in the first half and was given two points on a goal-tending call against Nance. Walton, of course, contributed in other areas, grabbing seven rebounds and clogging up the middle along with Donaldson. --Warrick was whistled for a violation in the first half for not bringing the ball into the front court in 10 seconds. The unusual thing was that there was no defensive pressure from the Suns. --Johnson (8 of 23 from the field) helped his rebounding average by grabbing 12, eight coming on the offensive end. Most of those came on his own missed shots. In one foray under the basket, Johnson grabbed the two rebounds of his missed shots before finally making one. “Marques had a rough time,” Lynam said. “But he kept taking it to the goal and didn’t give up.” The same could be said for the Clippers, in general. “Defensively, we played the whole game tonight,” Smith said. “We kept pressuring them and it enabled us to win despite our turnovers.” Clipper Notes

Reserve center Harvey Catchings aggravated a bone spur in his right heel Friday night and is questionable for tonight’s game against Golden State . . . The Clippers had 10 blocked shots; Phoenix three . . . The road win was the Clippers’ sixth this season, one more than they won on the road all last season.