Durant, Beal lead Suns to 116-113 OT victory over Clippers, spoiling LA's Intuit Dome opener
Stephen A.: Clippers are a first-round team at best
Stephen A. Smith explains why he doesn't see a long playoff run for the Clippers.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- — Kevin Durant scored 25 points, Bradley Beal added 24 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Clippers 116-113 in overtime Wednesday night, spoiling Los Angeles' Intuit Dome debut in the opener for both teams.
James Harden had 29 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers. He had a chance to send it to double overtime, but missed the second of two free throws with 4.8 seconds remaining.
Jusuf Nurkic gave the Suns a three-point advantage with a pair of free throws. The Clippers had one last chance to send it to another extra session, but Grayson Allen forced a turnover near midcourt after the inbounds pass.
Ivica Zubac had 21 points for the Clippers, but fouled out with 2:15 remaining in overtime.
Suns: Mike Budenholzer picked up the victory in his first game as Phoenix's coach and improved to 12-9 in his career against the Clippers.
Clippers: Norman Powell will go down as the player who made the first basket at Intuit Dome with his jumper 17 second into the game. ... LA had a 62-42 advantage in points in the paint and outrebounded the Suns by nine (51-42), but Zubac's foul trouble in overtime played a huge role.
The Clippers had a 99-90 lead before the Suns scored 11 straight points to go back on top. Devin Booker had four points during Phoenix's rally, but fouled out with 1:27 remaining. Harden scored four straight points to give LA a 103-101 advantage, but Durant tied it with a 15-footer with 21.2 seconds remaining.
The Suns were 1 of 4 from the field in overtime, but made all 10 of their foul shots. Nurkic and Beal were 4 of 4 and Durant made a pair.
The Suns remain in Southern California to face the Lakers on Friday night, while the Clippers are at Denver on Saturday.
------
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Regular Season Series
PHX leads 1-0
Game Information
- Referees:
- John Goble
- Nick Buchert
- Scott Twardoski
2024-25 Pacific Standings
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
LA Lakers | 16 | 12 | .571 | - | W3 |
Golden State | 15 | 12 | .556 | 0.5 | W1 |
LA Clippers | 16 | 13 | .552 | 0.5 | L1 |
Phoenix | 14 | 13 | .519 | 1.5 | L2 |
Sacramento | 13 | 16 | .448 | 3.5 | L3 |