PHOENIX — Marcus Morris was moving slow and proving ineffective. Terance Mann had cooled from his volcanic night. The Clippers’ best small-ball units, so deadly in disposing of the Jazz, didn’t have the same oomph in the opener against Phoenix. Credit the Suns. Deandre Ayton used his size and skill combo to punish the Clippers’ weak spots better than Rudy Gobert did and, along with a better-equipped group of wings, Phoenix guarded their action better.
That sent Clippers coach Ty Lue exploring. Which is nothing new for Lue in the early stages of any series. He’s a flexible coach who toggles a bunch until he finds combinations and strategies he prefers in certain matchups.
