Clippers show a newfound poise, hang on for victory against Suns

Blake Griffin fouled out with a little less than three minutes remaining and the Clippers holding a seven-point lead against the Phoenix Suns.

Doom, impending?

A month ago, yes. A week ago, maybe.

On Sunday, the Clippers survived the loss of Griffin and limited the self-inflicted damage to beat the Suns for the first time in 10 games. Phoenix pulled within a point, but the Clippers held on thanks to two free throws from Randy Foye and a steal by Eric Gordon from the Suns’ Mickael Pietrus in the waning seconds and won, 108-103, at Staples Center.

You might say that the young, cartoon-watching, video-game-playing Clippers are growing up.

On the court, that is.

“Basically,” rookie point guard Eric Bledsoe said.

Griffin had his own share of growing pains. He recorded his 18th consecutive double-double — 28 points and 12 rebounds — and nearly got it in the first half (19 points, eight rebounds). It is the longest streak in the NBA this season and one game short of the team record for consecutive double-doubles.

But the Suns gave Griffin sizable fits in the second half, largely in the form of 38-year-old Grant Hill. You know, the guy with the word “ageless” attached to his name.

Speaking of attached, Hill almost did just that to Griffin.

“As soon as I realized what they were doing and they put him on me in the second half, I realized it and I wasn’t going to back down,” Griffin said. “He was doing all that pushing and shoving and all that.”

Apparently, Griffin counterattacked with some verbal shots, according to Hill. Hill started off by saying he respected Griffin and happens to know Griffin’s parents since Taylor Griffin was with the Suns last season.

But …

“If he’s going to be out there talking trash, I’ve got to say something to him,” said Hill, who had 19 points. “I go against Kobe [Bryant] and LeBron [James] and some of the great ones, and they don’t say nothing. The first-year guys shouldn’t say anything either.

“But he is a great player. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. I like him. But when you’re competing you don’t like him. … Hopefully I don’t have to guard him too many more times in the future.”

Said the Suns’ Steve Nash, who had 21 points, 17 in the second half: “Grant’s phenomenal. He’s still incredibly athletic — tough as nails. He sticks his nose in and he’s really smart. We’re asking so much of Grant. He never complains, never buckles under the challenge, plays his butt off every night.”

The Suns, in the aftermath of their recent blockbuster trade with the Orlando Magic, displayed an edgier side. Pietrus, who had 25 points off the bench, was called for a flagrant foul 1 on Al-Farouq Aminu.

Good, said the Clippers’ Baron Davis.

“That’s the way we like to play,” said Davis, who had 15 points and nine assists. “We’re a young team, but we’re not easily scared. Teams don’t scare us. They can’t push us around. That kind of plays into our hand because we like that.”

Still, none of that prevented Griffin from getting his highlight-reel dunks. He soared and threw down a one-handed alley-oop dunk over Marcin Gortat in the first quarter. The spectacular play may well have cracked the top three of Griffin dunks, but it’s getting rather crowded up there.

“I wasn’t sure if it was going to clear Gortat,” Griffin said of the lob from Davis. “Once it cleared him I just kind of watched it and the play just developed. It was actually a good pass.”

The dunks were eye candy for the Clippers (9-22), who have won four of their last five. But the finishing glue came from Gordon and his final-seconds defense, which forced the pivotal turnover.

“Somebody was going to make the last shot. I saw him [Pietrus] come off two screens and I just had to stick with him because they had to take a three,” said Gordon, said who had 24 points, including four three-point field goals. “I just had to get my hand in there because he had the ball way out in front of him.”

Said Suns Coach Alvin Gentry: “I think he [Gordon] is one of the most underrated guys in the league from the standpoint of what he does offensively — he’s driving the ball and making shots.

“Things like that. I’m a big fan of his from the day he walked into the league. And I don’t know if he gets his just due.”

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

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