Clippers Can’t Make Plays to Catch Suns at the Finish

Imagine having a gift wrapped up with your name on it but instead of grabbing it, you allow someone to snatch it away, never to see it again.

That’s how the Clippers must feel after taking Phoenix down to the wire only to lose, 90-85, because they missed two key free throws and allowed the Suns to grab several key offensive rebounds in the game’s final 78 seconds Wednesday night.

Fresh off an impressive home victory over Toronto the night before, the Clippers found themselves trailing Phoenix by three points with 1:18 remaining and Jeff McInnis, the team’s best free-throw shooter, at the line.

But instead of making the plays to win their second consecutive at America West Arena, the Clippers reverted to their old ways. McInnis, an 81.4% free-throw shooter, missed both attempts and Phoenix used four offensive rebounds, with Tom Gugliotta getting three of them, to hand the Clippers their third loss in four games before a crowd of 16,592.

In playing his 18th game of the season, Gugliotta proved to be the difference for Phoenix. After missing most of last season because of a serious left knee injury, Gugliotta slowly has been getting increased playing time. He played 25 minutes against the Clippers and had 10 points and nine rebounds.

“Googs was really active out there and looked like the Googs of last year,” Phoenix Coach Scott Skiles said. “He threw his body around and got a couple of big stops. I liked what he was doing at the end.”

For the Clippers, who dropped to 11-22, it would be easy to blame their latest defeat on youth. But Coach Alvin Gentry wasn’t accepting that explanation.

“I don’t buy that because I’ve told our guys that we are sophomores now, we’ve played a whole college season,” Gentry said. “The last couple of plays were just effort plays we didn’t make. This loss had nothing to do with experience or anything like that. What they did was outhustle us to get offensive rebounds and that is a disturbing thing.”

The last time the Clippers played Phoenix, they ended a 12-game losing streak to the Suns with an impressive 10-point road victory Nov. 25. McInnis scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half and the Clippers held Phoenix forward Shawn Marion scoreless.

This time, the Clippers faced a more motivated Phoenix team.

After losing in overtime at Sacramento on Tuesday, the Suns played the Clippers fairly even for the first two quarters. Cliff Robinson and Marion combined for 19 points to lead Phoenix to a 48-44 lead at halftime.

Phoenix, which was without injured veterans Anfernee Hardaway and Mario Elie, came out playing tough defense to start third quarter and the Clippers missed their first nine shots. With Jason Kidd more involved in the offense, the Suns held a 57-44 lead before the Clippers scored their first basket nearly six minutes into the third quarter.

But after their scoreless drought, the Clippers had their own 21-8 run to tie the score at 65-65 heading into the fourth quarter.

“We were right there,” reserve swingman Corey Maggette said. “They weren’t doing anything different. They were doing the same thing except that Cliff Robinson was hitting some shots.”

Lamar Odom, who finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists, put the Clippers ahead, 73-70, with his third three-point basket early in the fourth. But from there, the Clippers struggled to get points, despite having Phoenix over the foul limit with 4:30 left.

With Kidd, Robinson and Gugliotta combining to score 21 of the Suns’ 25 fourth-quarter points, the Clippers couldn’t keep pace with their small lineup as they lost for the second time in three games against Phoenix this season.

“If they continue to jell together [the Clippers] are going to be tough to deal with because they have a lot of guys who can score,” said Phoenix forward and former Clipper Rodney Rogers. “They have a lot of young talent. It’s just a matter of them being kept together.”