Clippers gladly welcome improved schedule (Jan 02, 2017)
When they take the court on Monday night, the Los Angeles Clippers will welcome in more than just a new calendar year.
They'll also gladly welcome the Phoenix Suns.
Desperate for a soft spot in what's been a rugged schedule, the injury-riddled Clippers catch a break when they begin a stretch where they won't leave the state of California for three weeks against one of the league's losingest teams.
Of course, playing anywhere without Blake Griffin and Chris Paul can be problematical. Griffin has missed the last eight games following knee surgery, Paul five of the last six with a hamstring issue.
The Clippers have lost all five games in which they were without both standouts, and six in a row in all.
Griffin is out at least into February. Paul is doubtful for Monday's game after returning from a three-game absence last week, only to tweak the hamstring and miss the club's last two outings.
Shooting guard J.J. Redick, who also is battling a hamstring problem, insisted after Saturday's blowout loss at Oklahoma City that injuries and a tough schedule that's included eight games in 12 days following when Griffin went down aren't the team's only problems.
"We have to play better collectively. It's not one thing; it's a lot of things," he told reporters. "One thing that we can all just sort of do better is playing a little bit harder, and that's evident by the fast break points. It's been a problem."
Actually, defense as a whole has been a problem. The Clippers have given up 114.6 points per game in their last five losses.
Phoenix is a team that can relate to defensive shortcomings. The Suns had allowed 100 or more points in 15 straight games, dropping to a No. 29 defensive ranking, before holding their last two opponents to double digits.
The Suns have lost five straight on the road. Coincidentally, their last road win came in the same building at which they will be playing Monday night -- the Staples Center, where they beat the Los Angeles Lakers 119-115 on Dec. 9.
If there's been a positive for Phoenix in recent games, it's been the play of their three prized rookies -- Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender and Tyler Ulis.
Chriss had his best two-game sequence of the season last week, scoring 12 and 13 points in losses at Houston and San Antonio.
Bender recorded his first career double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds) last Monday at Houston, and followed that up with 10 points at San Antonio.
And Ulis has played so well the last two games (16 points on 7-for-13 shooting), he's been phasing veteran Brandon Knight out of the regular rotation.
Suns veteran P.J. Tucker has been impressed of late with Bender, the 19-year-old who had totaled only 59 points in the Suns' first 30 games after having been the No. 4 overall pick in the June draft.
"He's coming out and playing hard," Tucker told reporters after Saturday's loss at Utah. "He listens. As a rookie, that's all you can ask for."
