Suns' loss to LA Clippers showed Pacific Division's top West title contender right now

The Clippers sent an stern message to the Suns that they're Los Angeles team to beat in the 131-122 win in Phoenix on Wednesday.

It's not the LeBron James and Anthony Davis-led Lakers (17-18), who knocked out the Suns last month during the NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinals and eventually won the entire thing.

The Clippers-Suns final score doesn't reflect what transpired throughout the game.

The Clippers (21-12), now fourth in the Western Conference standings, manhandled Phoenix during the first half, led by nearly 20 after each of the first three quarters and were in front the entire game.

“We have to start games better with a sense of urgency, and just be ready for the fight," Devin Booker (game-high 35 points, six assists) said after the game. "We were fighting an uphill battle the whole game. You know, we showed some things in the second half of what it looks like when we turn up the energy and turn up the intensity.”

With the Suns' top scorer Kevin Durant (right hamstring soreness) sidelined, Phoenix showed some signs of life in the second half behind Booker and Bradley Beal (21 points) as well as role players Eric Gordon (16 points) and Bol Bol (season-high 14 points, five rebounds, one block).

The Suns went on a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to eight midway through the fourth as the Clippers began to look stagnant on both ends of the floor. That drew roars of hope from the Footprint Center crowd, hoping for a comeback that would take down the Pacific Division rival.

“It was a fight. Even without KD, we know we’re capable of beating them, for sure," Bol said.

Ultimately, Paul George (Clippers-high 33 points), Kawhi Leonard (30 points, eight rebounds), James Harden (22 points) and the L.A. bench led by 3-point marksman Norman Powell (13 points) ultimately pulled away in the closing minutes.

"I think they made a couple of plays, they got to the free throw line a couple of times on some difficult calls. They made some tough threes, they gave us just enough separation to make it difficult to get back into it," Suns coach Frank Vogel said. "Had a couple of turnovers during that stretch, but really proud with how we competed, we didn’t give up on the game.

"I think that’s a positive attribute to our team. I am more concerned with how we started the game defensively."

The Clippers have righted their ship in December unlike the Suns (18-16), who have been still middling at best over the past month.

The Clippers went from a laughing stock that lost nine of the team's 14 games in November, including an 0-5 run following the James Harden trade on Halloween, and were well under .500, dwelling in the West's basement during the first two months.

They clearly had roster issues figuring out how to build the chemistry of their future four Hall of Famers in Leonard, George and former MVPs Russell Westbrook and Harden.

Now the Clippers have shown they've figured out how to play a physical and efficient style of basketball. They're taking advantage of the offensive and defensive strengths from their four stars, and displayed that against the Suns.

“I think it helps everyone. Tonight, it was me," Leonard said about being double-teamed by the Suns. "They start missing PG (Paul George) and James, and we start getting open shots up collectively. If one of us gets it going, the game will get easier for anybody on the team. Even Norm getting great shots. Even T-Mann (Terance Mann, who scored 12 points, all in the first quarter) getting great shots.”

Conversely, the Suns went on their season-high, seven-game winning streak in November, even without their Big 3 in Booker, Durant and Beal playing a game together because of injuries.

Then the Suns had a reversal of fortune while the Clippers said to the league-best nine consecutive wins in December.

The Suns fizzled, losing eight of 11 from the start of last month through Christmas, before winning four straight. In addition, they have been switching mainly between the West's eighth and 10th spots over the past month.

The Clippers have dropped just two of their past 15 games, which includes the current four-game win streak, and are atop the Pacific Division. Sacramento (20-13) is second, Phoenix third, Lakers fourth and Golden State (16-17) fifth.

The Clippers are 18-5 with Harden on their roster with their other three stars and have continuity. The Suns have played just four games with their Big 3 and have gone 2-2.

There are several dominant teams in the West which the Suns have to get through to live up to their title expectations.

The Clippers, Sacramento (which routed Phoenix twice in December), defending champion Denver, Oklahoma City (23-10) and first-place Minnesota (24-9) are the West's top five. Minnesota is the only team that the Suns have beaten.

On Monday when the Suns travel to L.A. to face the Clippers again, it will be a chance to get vengeance against the team that Phoenix eliminated in last postseason's first round.

That's especially after the Clippers basically bullied the Suns off their own floor.

"It’s still early on. Two teams that are really good, probably see each other in the playoffs at some point, but they have a really good team," Gordon said.. "They got a lot of firepower. They’ve been playing very well in the past 15 games and they’re not gonna be an easy team to beat. For us, we just really didn’t get a chance to play our game. We played a lot better in the second half, but against them you gotta dictate flow from the start.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Clippers beating Suns exposed Pacific Division's West title contender