![\"\"](\"https:\/\/platform.brightsideofthesun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2026\/01\/Game-Matchup-2-2.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100\")
<\/a>Devin Booker \u2014 OUT (Right Ankle Sprain)Jalen Green \u2014 OUT (Right Hamstring Management, Left Hip Contusion)James Harden \u2014 OUT (Personal Reasons)Bradley Beal \u2014 OUT (Left Hip Fracture)Chris Paul \u2014 OUT (Team did him dirty)Derrick Jones, Jr \u2014 OUT (Right Knee Sprain)<\/p>\nThis Suns\u2013Clippers game is worth watching simply because it\u2019s already the fourth meeting between the two teams this season. Phoenix leads the series 2\u20131, and a real competitive tension has built up over the previous matchups. Both franchises share the same division, face each other constantly, and sit in similar areas of the standings, which means every duel carries extra weight. A win counts double: one for you, one against a direct rival.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a chance to see a gathering of stars who live for big moments, although there are some pricey names on the injured list. But we\u2019ll still see Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac, Dillon Brooks, and Mark Williams. Some of them play the same positions, which gives us a true clash of styles \u2014 sword, axe, and shield. And let\u2019s not forget the role players; without them, neither team would be where they are today.<\/p>\n
And then there\u2019s this feeling that Phoenix is reaching a subtle turning point in its season. Nothing dramatic, nothing urgent, but a moment where you sense the team can send a message to the entire NBA sphere: \u201cWe can be consistent. We can be serious. We can be dangerous over time.\u201d Stringing together wins over the Pistons, Cavs, and Clippers would be a statement. This game is an opportunity to prove it, and that alone makes it worth watching.<\/p>\n
Defense will be one of the main factors in Phoenix\u2019s success against the Clippers, but it won\u2019t be easy.<\/p>\n
In the last matchup, the Suns only had to deal with James Harden and his connection with the bigs in pick\u2011and\u2011roll, and even then, L.A. struggled to find rhythm. Now, they\u2019ll also have to handle Kawhi Leonard, who\u2019s playing at one of the highest levels of his career. You can\u2019t let him get comfortable. To succeed, Phoenix will need to communicate, trap at the right moments, and rotate quickly to avoid getting punished on the weak side.<\/p>\n
The win will also depend on hustle and physical intensity. The Clippers are older. Phoenix needs to hit them, set big screens, and show they\u2019re here to compete. Dive on loose balls, capitalize on every turnover, because this is a team that still has offensive sloppiness in its DNA. But above all, the Suns need to play fast. Really fast. As mentioned, L.A. isn\u2019t the most mobile team with Zubac, Brook Lopez, and Nicolas Batum. None of them are built for a track meet. Transition and early\u2011clock offense should be major weapons.<\/p>\n
Riding the momentum of this strong week, I see the Suns taking this one. Not easily, but without panic in the final minutes either. Grayson Allen has the hot hand right now, so why not a big performance from him to carry Phoenix?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Who: Phoenix Suns (30\u201319) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (22\u201325)When: 6:00pm Arizona TimeWhere: Mortgage Matchup Center \u2014 Phoenix, ArizonaWatch:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":576034,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3789],"tags":[7,559,4034,192,4032,251,135,4033,4031,6,30667],"class_list":{"0":"post-576033","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-clippers","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-clippers","10":"tag-la","11":"tag-la-clippers","12":"tag-laclippers","13":"tag-los-angeles","14":"tag-los-angeles-clippers","15":"tag-losangeles","16":"tag-losangelesclippers","17":"tag-nba","18":"tag-suns-game-previews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115997946433188334","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=576033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576033\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/576034"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=576033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=576033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=576033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}