Clippers Can’t Stop the Suns

Clipper Coach Mike Dunleavy has gone on record as saying that Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns is the NBA’s most valuable player this season.

The Clippers were in a position to cement his argument.

With Nash sidelined because of a strained left hamstring, they had a chance to end their three-week losing streak against a team that, despite its Pacific Division-leading 42-13 record, was winless in three games without Nash.

Could the Suns win without their All-Star point guard?

The Clippers showed they could.

Unable to take advantage of Nash’s absence or scoring leader Amare Stoudemire’s early foul trouble, the Clippers were blown out Wednesday by the Suns, 118-101, in front of 18,221 in America West Arena.

Nash’s backup, Leondro Barbosa, scored a season-high 22 points and had six rebounds, three steals and two assists in helping send the Clippers to their eighth consecutive loss. They haven’t won since Feb. 3 and at 23-31 have fallen six games behind the eighth-place Lakers in the West.

“He’s got some tools,” Dunleavy said, “and he’s got a lot of other guys [playing with him] you’re trying to pay attention to.”

Five other players also scored in double figures for the Suns, led by Joe Johnson, who matched Barbosa’s point total and also had six assists. Former Clipper Quentin Richardson made three of seven three-point shots and scored 18 points. Stoudemire had 17 points in 21 minutes.

The Suns made 56.3% of their shots, outscored the Clippers in every quarter and bested by nearly eight points their league-leading scoring average. Last month, they averaged only 87.3 points and made only 37.4% of their shots when Nash sat out three games because of thigh and back injuries.

“We didn’t match their intensity,” said Clipper point guard Rick Brunson, who was consistently burned by the quicker Barbosa and finished with two points and four assists in 35 minutes. “Against a team like that, you’ve got to jump on them early, especially when you’ve got a guy like Steve Nash not in the lineup.

“We had all the right intentions, but our feet were in quicksand. We just couldn’t react, couldn’t stop them. They kept getting rebounds. I think they shot [almost] 60%. It’s hard to beat a team playing like that.”

The Clippers, who got 23 points from Bobby Simmons and 17 points and 12 rebounds from Elton Brand, stayed close through the first quarter. From that point, the game was played at a tempo more favorable to the run-and-gun Suns, who outscored the Clippers on fastbreak points, 25-8.

“It’s inevitable,” Richardson said, adding that Dunleavy’s late decision to open with a smaller lineup had fueled the Suns’ confidence. “We knew once the starting lineup was changed that we were going to lull them into it.

“Once we saw that [7-footer Chris] Kaman wasn’t starting and they were starting Quinton Ross that at some point we would be able to bait them into it.”

For Richardson, who signed with the Suns last summer, this was one more enjoyable game in a season that has been filled with them.

“This is the best time I’ve had playing basketball since I was playing in AAU,” he said. “The biggest part is because we’re winning, but the way we’re winning and the style we’re playing is huge too.”