Game 45: LA Clippers (26-19) @ Phoenix Suns (23-21) | Jan 27 | 7:30PM

[SkyBill40]

We escaped with a win. There was nothing good about that ending.

[KLEON]

Don't matter who's it against, it's not a Suns game unless it goes down to the wire.

Well it was 5 vs 8 everytime the Suns try to pull away

[NapoleonII]

Beal did, in the 4th quarter, what I had been waiting for Booker and KD to do:

Drive and initiate contact, get to the freaking line.

[Qwigglez]

EZ claps guys. I wasn't worried at all.

[Saberestar]

A couple things:

1) First time IIRC that we just play 8 guys. With Dunn out Budenholzer just played Beal, Allen and Plumlee coming from the bench.

2) Mason Plumlee was +22 in his 26 minutes on the court. He didn't score a single point but I have to admit that I am impressed by his mobility and agility for his size/age.

[sunsbg]

Beal's foul on Harden 3 at the end was stupid. A lot of ISO from Booker and KD. Only one of Suns starters with above .500 FG% while Clippers had only one below.

One mediocre team beat another mediocre team. On to the next.

[lilfishi22]

A couple things:

1) First time IIRC that we just play 8 guys. With Dunn out Budenholzer just played Beal, Allen and Plumlee coming from the bench.

2) Mason Plumlee was +22 in his 26 minutes on the court. He didn't score a single point but I have to admit that I am impressed by his mobility and agility for his size/age.

Plumdog is a decent back up C. He'll have good nights and bad nights as most role players would. As a starting C, he may get away with it on some nights but on most, he'll be outmatched on size, athleticism and talent. Nick is better but not like leagues better, he is after all better as a reserve C but a rotation of these two certainly makes things more competent as opposed to having to start Plumlee and only having Oso off the bench.

[lilfishi22]

Beal's foul on Harden 3 at the end was stupid. A lot of ISO from Booker and KD. Only one of Suns starters with above .500 FG% while Clippers had only one below.

One mediocre team beat another mediocre team. On to the next.

Maybe I'm alone in this but my definition of mediocre isn't 6th in the stacked West

[sunsbg]

Beal's foul on Harden 3 at the end was stupid. A lot of ISO from Booker and KD. Only one of Suns starters with above .500 FG% while Clippers had only one below.

One mediocre team beat another mediocre team. On to the next.

Maybe I'm alone in this but my definition of mediocre isn't 6th in the stacked West

No real chance for a title is pretty much mediocrity to me. Let's say high level mediocrity as a lower playoff seed and lower level if a team barely misses the playoffs.

[dremill24]

Welp...22 threes will certainly get you a W most of the time

[garrick]

Having Nurkic away certainly seems to help us with winning but these are relatively easy wins for us.

Ishbia and JJ really seems to hit home run after home run with their trades and now we're saddled with two big contracts that no one wants and the crazy part is Ishbia hasn't learned and wants to trade for and max extend Butler well into his late 30's on a huge contract.

Winning!

[sashaturiaf]

I still don't like watching this current team, but can't deny we're a lot easier to bear when Book is actually playing like the Book we know.

[Fo-Real]

Royce Oneal looked good as a starter in this game.

[lilfishi22]

I still don't like watching this current team, but can't deny we're a lot easier to bear when Book is actually playing like the Book we know.

On the season, Book has still been pretty mid. Really difficult to understand why he's seemed to be so inconsistent even when it comes to the desire to score that he had even just a season ago. I wonder if it's just him giving up middys and taking more 3's instead which he's been shooting below is already pretty mid career average.

I just want to see a more aggressive Book, even one that is taking long middys

[bwgood77]

Beal's foul on Harden 3 at the end was stupid. A lot of ISO from Booker and KD. Only one of Suns starters with above .500 FG% while Clippers had only one below.

One mediocre team beat another mediocre team. On to the next.

Maybe I'm alone in this but my definition of mediocre isn't 6th in the stacked West

I don't think the Clips are that good. They are good and surprising to me. For us though, being 8th with the easiest schedule so far and a negative pt differential, it's hard to claim we are better than mediocre, even with a slim win over the 6th seed in the stacked west at home.

[mkot]

Beal's foul on Harden 3 at the end was stupid. A lot of ISO from Booker and KD. Only one of Suns starters with above .500 FG% while Clippers had only one below.

One mediocre team beat another mediocre team. On to the next.

Clippers has the 2nd best defensive rating in the league, they are not mid