LOS ANGELES — Forward Blake Griffin scored 22 points and pulled down nine rebounds leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 102-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night at Staples Center.
Point guard Chris Paul had 17 points and five assists as the Clippers opened the season 4-0 for the first time since the 2007-2008 campaign. Guard Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 11 points and guard J.J. Redick finished with 10 for Los Angeles.
Forward Markieff Morris led the Suns (2-2) with 19 points to go along with eight rebounds, while center Tyson Chandler scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 17 boards. Phoenix guard Eric Bledsoe scored 16 and handed out seven assists, while his backcourt mate Brandon Knight added 12 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Two free throws by Griffin put the Clippers up 96-91 with 2:11 left in the contest.
Morris cut the deficit to three with a putback, but Griffin answered with a jumper for a 98-93 cushion with 1:36 left. That turned out to be the difference.
The Suns failed to convert on several opportunities down the stretch, allowing the Clippers to beat them for the eighth consecutive time.
The Clippers bolted past the Suns with a 15-0 surge in the second quarter, capped by center DeAndre Jordan jamming a reverse alley-oop pass from reserve guard Austin Rivers for a 39-32 advantage with 6:20 remaining in the quarter.
Los Angeles led 48-39 at the break.
Neither team shot well in the opening half. The Suns managed to convert just 31.1 percent of their attempts, including an awful stretch of 22.7 percent in the second quarter. The Clippers made 42.1 percent in the second quarter and 40 percent for the half.
The 3-point shooting was much worse, with both clubs misfiring on 13 of 15 shots.
The Suns rallied in the third, opening the quarter on a 20-7 tear for a 68-65 lead after a layup by Chandler with 2:52 remaining. After the two teams exchanged leads, forward Josh Smith’s 3-pointer with 35.3 seconds left gave the Clippers a 75-72 heading into the final period.
NOTES: Suns coach Jeff Hornacek believes this will be the season G Eric Bledsoe rises to elite status. “I think when Eric ended last season, he told himself and told us he was going to stick around Phoenix and really work on his game and try to step it up to another level,” Hornacek said. “So far this year, he’s doing it.” Bledsoe, who averaged 22.7 points in the first three games, had a 33-point performance Saturday against the Portland Trail Blazers. … Clippers F Blake Griffin had the second-highest three-game scoring output (96 points) at the beginning of a season in franchise history. World B. Free’s 105 points to open 1979-80 are tops. … Both clubs resume play Wednesday. Phoenix hosts the Sacramento Kings, while Los Angeles visits the Golden State Warriors.