Suns beat Clippers and clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2010!!
Chris Paul scored 28 points, dished 10 assists, Devin Booker added 21 points and the Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 109–101 to secure a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2010.
“We are not satisfied, we’re not settling,” second-year Suns coach Monty Williams said. “We feel like we’re just scratching the surface.”
“Our players have worked their tails off, they’ve done everything I’ve asked them to do,” Williams said proud of the work ethic that his team has and finally their work has paid off. “I’m just happy for them.”
Williams has done a remarkable job in Arizona to turn a good team into a contender something that they have been seeking to be called for over a decade. Last season, even if they didn’t have a good record, still managed to go to Orlando when the season resumed and made an 8–0 run but it wasn’t enough for them to get a ticket for the postseason. During the summer though, with the additions of Chris Paul, a veteran All-Star playmaker who led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs, Jae Crowder, a great three-point shooter who went to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat but lost 4–2 to the Los Angeles Lakers, Torrey Craig, a great defender who was part of the double comeback the Nuggets made in the playoffs and so on — this team seems to have great potential this season after adding players with great qualities on both sides of the floor.
“He controls the whole game,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of Paul’s great performance and knowledge of the game. “He plays at his own pace, he gets guys involved, he knows where everybody is at. That is what a true point guard does and he did it tonight.”
Paul has been a huge boost for the franchise, giving the Suns a Hall of Fame-caliber point guard who has 109 games of playoff experience. He said he wasn’t surprised the Suns are in this position.
“I know who I am,” Paul said. “I knew coming to this situation, I knew who Book was, he told me about some of the guys on the team. I knew playing for Monty, how detail-oriented he is.”
Paul George led the Clippers with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Marcus Morris Sr. added 16 points.
Kawhi Leonard (sore right foot) has missed a lot of games and coach Tyronn Lue says that he’s not quite sure when Leonard would return. Mentions that he’s participated sporadically on the floor, but Leonard still sounds day-to-day at this point. Also guard Patrick Beverley (hand fracture)and Serge Ibaka (lower back) didn’t play.