Game Recap: Suns Escape from L.A., winning 116-113 in season opener against Clippers

It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t pretty. But it was a win.

The Phoenix Suns season opener. When the unrelenting heat was beating down upon us this past summer, I never thought we’d get here. But here we are.

Phoenix opened the season against the Los Angeles Clippers, marking the inaugural game in the $2 billion Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The Suns christened the arena with a hard-fought victory, edging out the Clippers 116-113 in overtime.

The game was sloppy at times, with Phoenix turning the ball over 23 times and getting dominated in the paint, where they were outscored 62-42 and surrendered 13 offensive rebounds. Despite these challenges, Kevin Durant led the team in scoring with 25 points, although he also had 7 turnovers. Devin Booker contributed just 15 points before fouling out late in the fourth, but Bradley Beal stepped up with 24 points—7 of which came in the crucial fourth quarter—serving as the team’s saving grace.

For the Clippers, James Harden put up a strong performance with 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, supported by Ivica Zubac’s 21 points and Norman Powell’s 17. The Clippers held the lead for most of the second half.

Tyus Jones was a bright spot for Phoenix, dishing out 8 assists without committing a turnover. When the ball flowed through him, the Suns looked far more competent. There’s still plenty of work to do, but at least the Suns managed to survive a messy opener in Los Angeles.

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Game Flow

First Half

To start, that wall looked cool.

The game started off sluggish, which was to be expected with it being the season opener. Phoenix didn’t come out firing from deep as we’d hoped, and the Clippers were tight on defense, limiting open looks. As a result, the Suns leaned on Nurkic to work inside. However, the Clippers quickly targeted him defensively, and with two fouls just 8:47 into the first quarter, he was forced to the bench.

Phoenix struggled on the glass early, giving up 4 offensive rebounds and 4 second-chance points before the first break in the action, while grabbing none themselves. No one was even crashing the boards. This will be something to watch throughout the season, as rebounding is a clear weakness for such a small team.

Ryan Dunn made his season debut in the first quarter, missing his first midrange jumper. Not long after, Oso Ighodaro also saw his first NBA action. It’s kind of wild to think the Suns are putting trust in these young players, but I love seeing it. Now’s the perfect time to find out what they’ve got.

And fittingly, Oso grabbed the Suns’ first offensive rebound of the season.

The Clippers struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 1-of-9 in the first, while Phoenix went 4-of-11. Despite a slight rebounding edge for L.A. — 11 to 9 — the Suns led 23-22 after one.

Jusuf Nurkic hit his first three-pointer of the season, though it wasn’t the prettiest. Still, three points is three points!

James Harden began his usual foul-baiting routine, tossing his head back and yelling every time he drove to the rim. But the refs weren’t buying it. Meanwhile, Oso Ighodaro was tasked with guarding the former MVP and held his own, contributing some solid defense as Harden stumbled to a 1-of-8 start from the field.

The Suns then ripped off a 14-0 run midway through the second quarter, stretching the lead to 13. Devin Booker finally got on the board, capping the run with a smooth three-pointer.

The Suns’ ball movement shined in the second quarter, as they whipped the ball around, put pressure on the Clippers’ defense, and found open shooters.

Grayson Allen and Bradley Beal each had 8 points, Kevin Durant added 7, and Devin Booker chipped in 6. Norman Powell led the Clippers with 11 points.

Phoenix outscored the Clippers 24-17 in the second quarter, holding them to just 33.3% shooting. Meanwhile, the Suns went 6-of-12 from beyond the arc, spreading the scoring evenly across the board. By the half, Phoenix had shot 43.5% (10-of-23) from deep and carried a 47-39 lead into the break.

Second Half

The Clippers opened the second half with a 12-4 run, and for a moment, it felt like a flashback to the Suns’ fourth-quarter collapses from last season. Sloppy ball-handling led to 4 early turnovers, gifting the Clippers 7 points and allowing them to quickly erase the Suns’ lead.

Oso Ighodaro finally got his first bucket to fall. It wasn’t flashy—just a simple push shot—but he’ll gladly take it.

With 5:42 in the third, the Clippers took the lead for the first time since 10:45 left in the second.

Mental lapses plagued Phoenix as they continued to turn the ball over in a variety of ways—live ball turnovers, backcourt violations, and over-and-backs. The Suns seemed unfocused, struggling to maintain their composure and capitalize on their opportunities.

James Harden took full advantage of the Suns’ poor play, scoring 16 points in the third quarter on 5-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Ivica Zubac also contributed with 10 points.

Bradley Beal stepped up to close the quarter strong, hitting the only three-pointer for Phoenix, which finished a dismal 1-of-6 from deep in the third. Beal ended the period with 9 points, helping the Suns mount a quick 5-0 run at the end of the quarter to narrow the gap. However, after being outscored 35-25 in the third, Phoenix found themselves trailing 74-72 as they headed into the final frame.

Another 8-0 run by the Clippers, even with Harden on the bench, pushed Los Angeles ahead by 8 points after the Suns had briefly tied the game. More turnovers by Phoenix, more points for the Clippers. KD, Booker, and Nurk just couldn’t hold the ball.

After a Budenholzer timeout, the disjointed offense fought back and finally strung together some sequences that resembled organized basketball. There was no isolation with Kevin Durant, no more relying on him to dribble around and create his own shot—just good, old-fashioned teamwork and movement. It was a refreshing display of actual basketball fundamentals.

But every time the Suns would find something that works, the Clippers would hit some nutty shot.

James Harden went to work, expertly using the high screen and roll to create advantageous matchups with Jusuf Nurkic. He cooked, showcasing his offensive prowess. Nurkic had to be pulled and the Suns went to small-ball with KD at the five. Meanwhile, Amir Coffey lit it up from three-point range, making it feel like the game was slipping out of reach for Phoenix.

However, the Suns rallied, managing a couple of crucial stops and narrowing the gap to just four points, 99-94, with three minutes left to play.

Phoenix put together an 8-0 run, which included Terence Mann fouling out and the Suns getting to the penalty first. But shooting against the wall was tough for Phoenix. The team shot just 57.1% from the line in the third and fourth.

The run continued as the Clippers remained stuck on 99 for two full minutes, allowing the Suns to take the lead with an and-1 from Kevin Durant, set up by an assist from Tyus Jones. However, in a small-ball lineup, Devin Booker found himself mismatched against Zubac and was whistled for his sixth foul of the game. After a couple of free throws, the Clippers regained the lead.

KD hit an unreal jumper to tie the game and Harden had a chance to send the Intuit crowd home on a buzzer-beater. But missed.

Overtime

In overtime, the Suns finally remembered they had Bradley Beal on the roster and shifted their offensive focus away from running everything through Kevin Durant at the top of the key. With Booker sidelined, the Clippers were quick to blitz Durant, knowing he wasn’t the most reliable ball handler. Once Beal started inserting himself into the action, knocking down shots and attacking the rim, the Suns surged ahead, pushing their lead to four points.

Beal scored 7 points in the overtime, leading all Suns scorers.

With just 4.8 seconds left in the game and the Clippers down by two, James Harden stepped up to the line but could only manage 1-of-2 free throws. After fouling Nurkic, who coolly sank both of his free throws amid the pressure, the Clippers found themselves trailing 116-113 with only 3.0 seconds remaining.

A Grayson Allen steal on the inbounds and the Suns escape from L.A. 1-0 baby!

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Next up for the Suns? The team stays in the City of Angels as they prepare for the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. It is a team they saw twice in the preseason, but now it’s for realsies!

See you then, Bright Side!!