Clippers beat Suns 117-99 on December 8,2012

Clippers beat Suns 117-99 for 5th straight win

By BETH HARRIS (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press – 3 hours ago

Series at a Glance

1. Game 1: Final

   Phoenix99

   @ LA Clippers117

   Final

2. Game 2: Sun, Dec 23 8:00 PM ET

   LA Clippers

   @ Phoenix

3. Game 3: Thu, Jan 24 10:30 PM ET

   LA Clippers

   @ Phoenix

4. Game 4: Wed, Apr 3 10:30 PM ET

   Phoenix

   @ LA Clippers

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LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The bench bailed out the Clippers again.

Jamal Crawford led a fourth-quarter rally with 13 of his 21 points, and Los Angeles beat Phoenix 117-99 on Saturday, winning its fifth in a row while sending the Suns to their season-worst sixth straight loss.
''Thank the bench because the starters were struggling,'' Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. ''They got us off to a bad start again. Our starters get into this energy on the offense and not on the defense. This game easily could have gone the other way.''
Blake Griffin added 24 points and a career-best four steals, and Chris Paul had 16 points and 11 assists, but the Clippers' reserves carried them. Crawford made all four of his free throws to extend his streak to 55 in a row since Nov. 3.
''We owed them a lot,'' Griffin said about the reserves. ''We want to put it away early, but with the way that our team is put together, our second team is just as capable coming in and putting that lead on teams.''
The Clippers broke out in the final quarter after not leading by more than seven points through the first three periods. And they did it with their reserves, who scored every point. They opened with a 17-4 run in which Crawford scored 11 points on a variety of shots, including a 3-pointer and two free throws.
''They've got a hell of a basketball team,'' said Suns coach Alvin Gentry, who once guided the Clippers. ''When the starters get 61 and the bench gets 56, that's a well-balanced team. They do a good job of passing the basketball.''
Los Angeles fans were rewarded with a couple of big dunks by Eric Bledsoe and another by Matt Barnes that pushed the Clippers' lead to 110-93 with 4:04 to play. Their reserves outscored Phoenix's bench, 56-45.
''It started with defense,'' Griffin said. ''We got five stops in a row and got into an 11-point lead.''
Michael Beasley scored 21 points off the bench, and Shannon Brown added 19 for Phoenix, which hadn't lost six in a row since March 3-12, 2009.
''If we're going to get out of this, we've got to work our own way out and do it collectively as a group,'' Gentry said. ''In this league, no one's going to help us and no one feels sorry for you. It's not a pity league.''
Luis Scola scored 10 in a row for the Suns and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Neither team managed to pull away in the third, when the Clippers led 85-83 before their starters went to the bench for good to start the fourth.
Los Angeles got a boost from its second unit early in the second, with Crawford scoring five in a row and Lamar Odom and Barnes chipping in as the Clippers played catch-up. Griffin and Paul took over the final 2:50, combining to score 11 of their team's final 14 points to send the Clippers into halftime leading 63-57.
Odom finished with eight points and eight rebounds, having dropped 12 pounds recently as he works his way back into shape.
''I don't think you can have too much talent,'' he said about the bench. ''We need everyone to be successful to get to where we want to be.''
The game began shortly after noon, and the Clippers' defense sleepwalked through the first quarter when the Suns led by seven.
Notes: Suns C Jermaine O'Neal was ejected in fourth quarter after taking offense to a call. ... Clippers G Chauncey Billups missed his second straight game because of tendinitis in his left ankle. ... The Clippers have scored 100 or more points in each of their last five victories. ... The Suns played their seventh road game in 14 days. They fell to 2-10 away from home. ... Beasley didn't start after totaling 24 points on 10 of 35 shooting in his three previous games.

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Team Comparison

Team		Record	Standings	PF	PA	Road/Home	Streak	L10
	LA Clippers	13-6	1st Pacific/4th Western	102.3	95.1	9-3 Home	W 5	6-4
	Phoenix	7-14	5th Pacific/14th Western	98.2	103.3	2-10 Road	L 6	3-7

Current Boxscores for the games of December 8,2012,from Yahoo! Sports

NBA Scores

Saturday, Dec 8, 2012

1 2 3 4 Total Phoenix 31 26 26 16 99 Final  LA Clippers 28 35 22 32 117   PHO: M. Beasley 21 Pts, 4 Reb, 5 Ast LAC: B. Griffin 24 Pts, 8 Reb, 4 Ast Box Score - Recap - Highlights		1 2 3 4 Total San Antonio 32 27 38 35 132 Final  Charlotte 23 21 23 35 102   SA: T. Parker 22 Pts, 2 Reb, 9 Ast CHA: K. Walker 23 Pts, 0 Reb, 3 Ast Box Score - Recap
1 2 3 4 Total Golden State 28 22 21 30 101 Final  Washington 21 26 23 27 97   GS: K. Thompson 23 Pts, 6 Reb, 5 Ast WAS: J. Crawford 22 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast Box Score - Recap		1 2 3 4 Total Detroit 25 24 27 28 104 Final  Cleveland 22 30 18 27 97   DET: B. Knight 30 Pts, 7 Reb, 5 Ast CLE: A. Varejao 16 Pts, 13 Reb, 5 Ast Box Score - Recap
1 2 3 4 Total Philadelphia 16 12 29 22 79 Final  Boston 24 24 22 22 92   PHI: T. Young 22 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast BOS: R. Rondo 7 Pts, 9 Reb, 11 Ast Box Score - Recap		1 2 3 4 Total New Orleans 32 15 25 18 90 Final  Miami 31 33 22 20 106   NO: R. Lopez 20 Pts, 8 Reb, 0 Ast MIA: L. James 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 7 Ast Box Score - Recap
1 2 3 4 Total New York 23 18 24 20 85 Final  Chicago 26 17 24 26 93   NY: T. Chandler 14 Pts, 18 Reb, 1 Ast CHI: L. Deng 22 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Ast Box Score - Recap		1 2 3 4 Total Atlanta 21 20 32 20 93 Final  Memphis 22 25 13 23 83   ATL: J. Smith 24 Pts, 8 Reb, 4 Ast MEM: M. Gasol 18 Pts, 8 Reb, 5 Ast Box Score - Recap
1 2 3 4 Total Dallas 39 24 21 32 116 Final  Houston 24 42 23 20 109   DAL: O.J. Mayo 40 Pts, 8 Reb, 3 Ast HOU: J. Harden 39 Pts, 6 Reb, 9 Ast Box Score		1 2 3 4 Total Sacramento 30 5     35 5:07  Portland 18 13     31 2nd  SAC: J. Salmons 5 Pts, 1 Reb, 6 Ast POR: L. Babbitt 8 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast TV: CSCA, KGW, NBATV Box Score

Current NBA Standings as of the games of November 23,2012,from Yahoo! Sports

2012-13 NBA Regular Season Standings

2012 Season 2012 Preseason 2011 Season 2010 Season 2009 Season 2008 Season 2007 Season 2006 Season 2005 Season 2004 Season 2003 Season 2002 Season

Eastern Conference Standings
Atlantic	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Streak	L10
New York	8	3	.727	--	4-0	4-3	2-0	5-0	Lost 2	7-3
Brooklyn	7	4	.636	1.0	5-1	2-3	2-0	5-1	Won 1	6-4
Philadelphia	7	5	.583	1.5	4-3	3-2	3-2	4-5	Lost 1	6-4
Boston	7	6	.538	2.0	4-3	3-3	1-2	5-5	Won 1	6-4
Toronto	3	10	.231	6.0	2-3	1-7	0-4	2-7	Lost 3	2-8
Central	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Streak	L10
Milwaukee	6	4	.600	--	3-2	3-2	2-0	5-3	Lost 2	6-4
Chicago	5	6	.455	1.5	3-3	2-3	1-0	2-1	Lost 3	4-6
Indiana	6	8	.429	2.0	4-2	2-6	0-1	3-5	Lost 1	4-6
Cleveland	3	9	.250	4.0	2-2	1-7	0-2	2-5	Lost 1	2-8
Detroit	3	10	.231	4.5	2-3	1-7	0-0	3-2	Won 1	3-7
Southeast	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Streak	L10
Miami	9	3	.750	--	5-0	4-3	1-0	4-1	Won 3	8-2
Atlanta	7	4	.636	1.5	3-2	4-2	3-1	4-1	Won 4	7-3
Charlotte	6	5	.545	2.5	5-3	1-2	1-1	4-1	Lost 1	5-5
Orlando	5	7	.417	4.0	4-2	1-5	0-1	3-6	Won 2	3-7
Washington	0	10	.000	8.0	0-4	0-6	0-2	0-8	Lost 10	0-10
Western Conference Standings
Southwest	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Streak	L10
Memphis	9	2	.818	--	5-1	4-1	1-0	5-2	Won 1	9-1
San Antonio	10	3	.769	--	4-2	6-1	1-0	7-2	Won 2	7-3
Dallas	7	6	.538	3.0	5-2	2-4	0-0	2-3	Won 1	5-5
Houston	6	7	.462	4.0	4-3	2-4	1-1	1-6	Won 2	4-6
New Orleans	3	8	.273	6.0	2-4	1-4	0-2	1-4	Lost 6	3-7
Northwest	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Streak	L10
Oklahoma City	9	4	.692	--	6-2	3-2	1-0	4-2	Lost 1	8-2
Denver	7	6	.538	2.0	3-1	4-5	2-0	6-2	Won 3	7-3
Utah	7	6	.538	2.0	5-0	2-6	0-1	5-4	Won 3	6-4
Portland	6	6	.500	2.5	4-3	2-3	1-1	5-5	Won 1	5-5
Minnesota	5	6	.455	3.0	3-3	2-3	0-2	2-3	Lost 4	4-6
Pacific	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	Div	Conf	Streak	L10
LA Clippers	8	4	.667	--	5-2	3-2	1-1	5-2	Lost 2	6-4
Golden State	7	6	.538	1.5	3-2	4-4	2-2	4-6	Lost 1	5-5
LA Lakers	6	7	.462	2.5	6-3	0-4	3-2	4-7	Lost 2	6-4
Phoenix	6	7	.462	2.5	5-3	1-4	0-2	3-3	Won 2	5-5
Sacramento	3	9	.250	5.0	3-4	0-5	2-1	2-5	Lost 1	3-7
x-Clinched Playoff Spot; y-Division Champ; z-Clinched Home Court

Current NBA boxscores for November 19,2012,as of 11:30PM,EST

NBA Scores  Monday, Nov 19, 2012           1 2 3 4 Total Indiana 28 22 21 25 96 Final  Washington 13 28 26 22 89   IND: D. West 30 Pts, 8 Reb, 3 Ast WAS: B. Beal 18 Pts, 2 Reb, 1 Ast Box Score - Recap       1 2 3 4 Total Milwaukee 23 31 27 17 98 Final  Charlotte 30 25 22 25 102   MIL: M. Ellis 31 Pts, 3 Reb, 5 Ast CHA: R. Sessions 23 Pts, 4 Reb, 4 Ast Box Score - Recap     1 2 3 4 Total Orlando 23 14 12 23 72 Final  Atlanta 21 20 24 16 81   ORL: N. Vucevic 5 Pts, 13 Reb, 2 Ast ATL: A. Horford 15 Pts, 9 Reb, 3 Ast Box Score - Recap       1 2 3 4 Total Denver 27 25 17 28 97 Final  Memphis 26 23 21 22 92   DEN: D. Gallinari 26 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Ast MEM: M. Gasol 16 Pts, 6 Reb, 5 Ast Box Score - Recap     1 2 3 4 OT Total Golden State 23 20 24 23 9 99 :41.2  Dallas 20 18 27 25 9 99 OT  GS: S. Curry 29 Pts, 5 Reb, 8 Ast DAL: O.J. Mayo 25 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast TV: CSBA, FSSW Box Score Live: GameChannel       1 2 3 4 Total LA Clippers 18 29 24 21 92 Final  San Antonio 28 14 21 24 87   LAC: C. Paul 19 Pts, 4 Reb, 8 Ast SA: T. Duncan 20 Pts, 14 Reb, 1 Ast Box Score     1 2 3 4 Total Houston 26 18 26 13 83 2:44  Utah 29 32 24 13 98 4th  HOU: P. Patterson 19 Pts, 1 Reb, 0 Ast UTA: A. Jefferson 14 Pts, 16 Reb, 2 Ast TV: CSH, RTRM+ Box Score Live: GameChannel