Clippers can’t apply house rules

The last victory the Clippers relished at home, they were gearing up to carve the Thanksgiving turkey.

Now, with Christmas trees ready to be tossed, they are still looking for that elusive follow-up home win.

It sure didn’t come Thursday night at Staples Center with the Clippers walloped, 108-88, by the Phoenix Suns for their seventh straight home loss and fifth straight overall.

The unsettling streak is the longest since the Clippers lost nine consecutive home games late in the 2003-04 season. The Clippers (4-9 at home and 9-18 overall) last won at home on Nov. 21 against the Denver Nuggets.

“No answer for it,” point guard Brevin Knight said. “Sometimes as an athlete on the road, when it’s you against the world, you play better.

“At home there is sometimes more stuff to do and more distractions. But that’s no excuse. At home, we need to play better and give our fans something to cheer about.”

The not-so-quite elixir to their woes after suffering one of their largest losses of the season?

Flying to Phoenix to play the Suns again tonight, with tipoff some 20 hours after Thursday’s final whistle.

“The good news is we get to do it all over again and I’m hoping it can’t get worse than this,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said.

The Clippers trailed in every game-within-the-game facet in a rhythm that steadily beat in favor of the Suns’ up-tempo offense.

Phoenix scored 14 fastbreak points to the Clippers’ six.

The Suns had 48 points in the paint to the Clippers’ 38.

And they outrebounded the Clippers, 46-42.

“Our offense just clicked,” Suns Coach Mike D’Antoni said.

And Amare Stoudemire was revving the engine.

He scored 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds before leaving the game with more than three minutes left in the third quarter and not returning. Steve Nash left shortly after that, his nine points and 12 assists securely in place.

Grant Hill and Leandro Barbosa each scored 16 points for the Suns (20-9), who shot 52.6% from the field.

By the end, about the only thing the home crowd of 17,871 had to cheer for was the entrance of former Clipper Eric Piatkowski, now a Suns reserve, in the fourth quarter.

Piatkowski had not played in Phoenix’s previous eight games.

“They were better,” Knight said. “That’s it. Nothing else. They passed the ball, cut and defended when they had to. They were better in every aspect.”

The Clippers had four days off between games.

Time to heal some aches and rest some bruises, but on Thursday, it didn’t matter. Sam Cassell returned for his most extended action since sustaining a strained calf Nov. 26 against the Houston Rockets, and Corey Maggette played after missing a game because of a sore right knee.

“I don’t know,” Cassell said when asked if he was fully healthy. “Just trying to make it. I have to.”

Cassell scored five points in 19 minutes and Maggette scored a team-high 21 points. But Chris Kaman made only four of 17 shots, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds, his first December game without a double-double.

Al Thornton and Cuttino Mobley each had 14 points for the Clippers, whose poor shooting continued with a 37% night.

The Suns breezed to a 59-40 halftime lead behind Stoudemire’s 20-point first-half effort. The Suns shot 52.6% in the half, while Stoudemire made six of his nine shots and eight free throws.

Phoenix’s biggest lead was 36 points. The Suns led, 89-59, after three periods.

If the Clippers are intent on reversing their home tidings, their chance is on the horizon.

After tonight, their next six games and 11 of their next 14 are at Staples Center.

“No question,” Dunleavy said. “We got off to a good start and we’ve struggled. . . . Against good opponents right now, we haven’t had enough firepower and execution to get the job done.”

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jonathan.abrams@latimes.com