Paul George # 13 of McGee # 00 LA Clippers fouled in the first quarter at the Crypto.com Arena on April 06, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Ronald Martinez / Getty Images / AFP
Norman Powell scored 24 points on his return and Paul George was 19 as the Los Angeles Clippers won 113-109 against visiting Phoenix Sons on Wednesday, who sat out four starts.
Powell missed 22 games for the Clippers (40-40) with a broken leg and returned to open 6 of 6 from 23 minutes of play. He played just three games with the Clippers when he was injured after trading from the Portland Trail Blazer.
Ish Wainwright scored 20 points and added 16 for Aaron Holiday Sons (63-17), who played without Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Diandre Ayton and Jay Crowder. The absence on Tuesday marked a day of maintenance after a franchise-record 63rd win by the Suns.
The game rarely turned into a playoff chase. The Sun has already reclaimed the top spot in the Western Conference and the Clippers have locked in as the eighth-ranked team to secure a place in the play-in tournament next week.
.Yg_Trece Firin came out. 3
3 @ Bolisport West | # Clipper Nation pic.twitter.com/ce9hxMKJRB
– LA Clippers (LAClippers) April 7, 2022
George’s production came back in his fourth game due to a fracture in his right elbow which forced him to miss 48 out of 50 contests. Star Kaohi Leonard (knee) has not played this season, but has increased activity to facilitate the team’s practice. George and Powell were playing together in a clipper uniform for the first time.
The Clippers had a seven-point lead in the first quarter and a 60-31 lead at halftime. That was Sans’s lowest score in the first half of the season.
George crossed the 15,000-point mark for his career in the second quarter.
For the Clippers, Ivica Zubak had 13 points and 11 rebounds and Robert Covington had 11 points. Bismarck Beyombo had 14 points and 12 rebounds from Sans, while Cameron Penn had 13 points.
Phoenix scored 48 points in the fourth quarter after scoring just nine in the second quarter. After falling behind like 39, the last minute Sans cut the deficit to single digits.
Clipper sharpshooter Luke Kennard was not found due to a hamstring injury.
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