PHOENIX – Home is where the Suns shine.
Phoenix will return to its own building Thursday night (Friday morning, Singapore time) to meet the Los Angeles Clippers in the first game of a home-and-home set, and the Suns will welcome the familiar surroundings.
The Suns are 3-1 at home this season, with their only loss coming on Ja Morant’s 11-footer in the lane with 7.6 seconds remaining in Memphis’ 114-113 victory on Oct. 29.
Since then, the Suns have double-digit home victories over the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs. They led by as many as 25 in a 118-96 victory over the Jazz, and most recently built a 31-point lead to hand the Spurs their first loss 130-118 on Sunday.
Phoenix overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings in the season opener at home but enter Thursday after a 118-107 loss at Golden State in a game in which the Suns fell behind by 25 points and dropped to 0-4 on the road.
“Just not following the game plan,” said Suns guard Devin Booker, who had a season-high 38 points. “We got to come in more focused. We got to get off to a better start.”
The Clippers enter after a 126-107 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, when they played the defending champions even into the third quarter but gave up a 17-0 run in the late third and early fourth.
“Basketball is a game of runs, defending champs, simple,” Clippers guard James Harden said of the outcome. “It’s a four-quarter game.”
Harden had 25 points, six assists and six rebounds while leading the Clippers, who played without Kawhi Leonard (knee) and Bradley Beal (ankle) in the second game of a back-to-back.
Leonard, who is expected to play against the Suns, has 61 points and 10 steals in his last two games. He joined Ron Harper (twice) and Chris Paul as the only players in franchise history to hit those numbers. Paul, like Beal, also played for the Suns.
Beal will make his first appearance in Phoenix since the ill-fitting marriage ended in divorce after last season, when the Suns waived him and ate the final two years and $110 million of his contract. Beal signed a two-year, $11 million deal with the Clippers in the offseason.
Leonard had 26 points and Beal six in the Clippers’ 129-102 home victory over the Suns on Oct. 24. The teams will meet for the final time on Feb. 1.
Elsewhere in NBA action on Wednesday night, Deni Avdija recorded 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and the Portland Trail Blazers recorded a 121-119 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder to hand the defending NBA champions their first setback of the season.
Jrue Holiday scored 22 points and Jerami Grant added 20 off the bench for Portland, which trailed by 22 points in the opening quarter and never led until five-plus minutes into the final stanza.
The Trail Blazers halted a 16-game skid against Oklahoma City.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander registered 35 points and nine rebounds for the Thunder, which won its first eight games and was the NBA’s last remaining unbeaten team. REUTERS
NBABasketball playersLos Angeles Clippers