Offense Falters For Phoenix Suns, Clippers Pull Away In 2nd Half For 103-86 Win

The Phoenix Suns struggled with their shooting from the start and could not get on track in the second half against Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers. In the end, the Suns lose for the second night in a row as the Clippers pulled away late for a 103-86 win, avenging the loss they suffered at the hands of the Suns a short time ago.

Blake Griffin was the story in the game. He finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Add to that another poster-quality dunk, this time on Channing Frye, and you have yourself a complete game.

But the major thing was that the offense for Phoenix was out of sync and it just seemed that nothing would go in the basket. Jared Dudley even airballed a free throw. Channing Frye shot 2-11 from three-point range, but had a good game in the end, scoring 16 with seven boards.

Marcin Gortat came out on fire, but did not have the effectiveness down the stretch. He had 23 points and seven rebounds.

IN the battle of point guards, Chris Paul and Steve Nash matched each other in assists with 15 each, but Paul also scored 15 while Nash had only one point.

The loss for Phoenix kept them from moving a game closer to the teams in front of them in the playoff race. They do not okay again until Sunday.

Talk more Suns at Bright Side of the Sun.

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Phoenix Suns Vs. Los Angeles Clippers: TV Schedule, Lineups And Blake's Revenge

The Phoenix Suns (25-25) got their best win of the season on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers (28-21) two weeks ago. Without Steve Nash and Grant Hill, the Suns role players and bench bunch overcame a 12-point fourth quarter deficit to embarrass the Clippers in Lob City.

The Clips struggled (4-3) since that loss with rumors of an impending coaching change swirling around Twitter like a photo of a half naked pop star. But they have won their last two games (Hornets and Grizzlies) and are 4-0 at home.

For the Suns, the clock is ticking and while this isn't a "must win" it certainly is a game they feel like they need to have.

Grant Hill, who missed Tuesday's game with a sore knee, is a game time decision. He last night that he "hopes to play". Steve Nash should play although he battled through back tightness during the Spurs game. We'll see how he's feeling against Chris Paul.

Projected Lineups:

• Point guard: Steve Nash --- Chris Paul
• Shooting guard: Jared Dudley -- Randy Foye
• Small forward: Grant Hill -- Caron Bulter
• Power forward: Channing Frye -- Blake Griffin
• Center: Marcin Gortat -- Deandre Jordan
• Key subs: Suns (Shannon Brown, Sebastian Telfair, Robin Lopez). Clips (Kenyon Martin, Nick Young, Reggie Evans)

TV broadcast info:

The Suns game tips off at 7:30 p.m. Arizona time on Fox Sports Arizona and Arizona Sports 620 radio. Bright Side of the Sun will have the live game thread.

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Phoenix Suns Fall To San Antonio Spurs In Wild And Woolly Game, 107-100

The San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns played another classic, crazy game reminiscent of their battles in the mid to late 2000's. Both teams were scoring at will and shooting over 50 percent heading into the fourth quarter with just a one-point margin of separation.

Neither team's defensive game plan was very effective up to that point, but it was the Spurs who found their stopping mojo first and went on a crucial 8-0 run with Steve Nash on the bench. Tony Parker hit two jump shots and Boris Diaw added a third to fuel the fire that push the Spurs lead from three to nine. That was followed by turnovers on the next two Suns possessions and the lead was up to 12 with about 5:45 to play.

The hill proved insurmountable by the Suns and San Antonio were to nurse their lead across the finish line.

"It's a game, you know. Things happen," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Sometimes we lose and the other team does that. We made some shots and they couldn't score for a while. I thought our defense was better in the second half. I thought Steve (Nash) sliced and diced us up in the first half and I thought we got ourselves under control defensively and the defense fueled a lot of what we did in the second half."

The result wasn't what Suns fans wanted, but the game was highly entertaining for three quarters. The Spurs are a more talented team with a lot of depth.

Shannon Brown got the start in place of Grant Hill who sat out with a sore knee. He put on a show with a career-high 32 on 11-18 shooting. On the other hand, Jared Dudley had just two points on the night.

"Playing against a team like San Antonio, you've got to play smart every possession, every possession counts. It's almost like playing a playoff game," Brown, a two-time NBA champion, said.

Nash said that his back tightened up during the second quarter and he wasn't able to get loose. He didn't think it would be a big deal and said at this point in the season, there's no time for resting.

We'll have to watch and see if Nash starts turning down shots or missing shots he'd normally make. In the past, those have been signs of his health impacting his game.

The Suns travel to L.A. to face the Clippers on Wednesday.

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[VIDEO] Steve Nash, Alvin Gentry Talk About Improved Suns; Ronnie Price Goes Jet

In this video from the Phoenix Suns shootaround on Tuesday morning, Steve Nash talks about the improvements on the offensive end while Alvin Gentry addresses the much improved rebounding. Ronnie Price wins a shooting contest and goes...a bit crazy.

Phoenix Suns Vs. San Antonio Spurs: TV Schedule, Lineups And Revenge

The Phoenix Suns host an old rival on Tuesday night with David Stern, the emperor himself, in town to watch the event.