Interim coach Jay Triano calls Suns' performance against Clippers 'inexcusable'

The Suns were down 29-5 midway through the first quarter Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers – yes, 29-5 – when Dragan Bender caught an Elfrid Payton bounce pass and found himself all alone under the basket.

Bender never hesitated. Instead of going up for an uncontested dunk, he whipped a pass to the corner for Marquese Chriss, who missed a 3-point shot.

The Suns’ bench reacted in astonishment, as if to say, “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Imagine how the fans at Talking Stick Resort Arena felt.

In their first game back from the All-Star break the Suns delivered the same flat, embarrassing performance that too often has been their trademark this season. They lost to the Clippers, 128-117, in a no-contest that extended Phoenix’s season-long losing streak to eight and was over less than five minutes after it started.

That’s no exaggeration, by the way.

The Clippers scored the game’s first 19 points. Phoenix missed its first eight shots and didn’t get on the board until a Josh Jackson layup with 7:09 remaining in the first quarter. Three minutes later, Los Angeles led 31-5.

Oh, and the Suns were off Thursday while the Clippers played at Golden State.

“Inexcusable,” a visibly frustrated interim coach Jay Triano said in his postgame press conference.

The good news, if you’re desperately looking for some? After a scolding from Triano at halftime, Phoenix outscored Los Angeles 67-49 in the second half, Josh Jackson had a spectacular one-handed slam and Alex Len finished with a double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds). Len did go 0 for 7 from the line, though.

But back to that 19-0 start and 31-5 deficit. How does that happen? And why has it happened so often to Phoenix?

Those questions prompted another one from Triano.

“Why do we practice against each other harder than we play in front of 15,000 people?” he said. “We practice downstairs, we’ll kill each other, jump in front, we do everything. When the lights come on, I don’t know if it’s nerves, fear, experience, we just back up, back up, give in.

“At halftime, I asked them why for two days of practice we want to fight each other, but when we play against somebody else, we “ole” and let them go right past us to the rim.”

Great question. Unfortunately, the Suns don’t seem to know how to respond. If they did this still wouldn’t be happening 60 games into the season.

“That’s the answer we’re still looking for,” said Devin Booker, who had 27 points on 7-of-20 shooting. “We think we can coast through and eventually teams are going to let us take the lead. … We can’t always be the responding team, go down 19, 20 points in the first quarter and now we’re fighting an uphill battle the rest of the game. We can’t come out with that mindset, wait to get punched in the face and then fight back. We have to be the aggressors.”

They also have to have better performances from young players like Bender and Marquese Chriss, who were a combined 1 for 11 from the field and scored three points in 42 minutes of play. Their play mirrors a team that pays too much respect to its elders.

When’s the last time a Suns’ player – besides Troy Daniels going after Denver’s Will Barton – has knocked a guy to the floor?

“Understand when the lights go on, that’s a professional team that’s going to come right at you,” Triano said. “They’re going to look for your throat and if you don’t respond they’re going to keep driving right at you and they did. And our young guys have to learn to step in. I told them, ‘Use your six fouls stopping someone from going in a direct line rather than reaching in with a little slap here or there.’”

So, Triano was asked, can a coach do anything to get his team to play more aggressively at the start of games, or does that have to come from the players?

“I’ll have to find out,” Triano said. “I called two timeouts, I went after them at halftime, I changed five guys. Give me another idea.”

Suns' Chandler to see specialist

Suns’ center Tyson Chandler saw a neck specialist Friday and is out for Phoenix’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Chandler, who has been bothered by neck spasms since before the All-Star break, had an MRI on his neck Thursday. General Manager Ryan McDonough said Phoenix could have an update on Chandler’s condition before Friday’s game.

Chandler has missed two of Phoenix’s last three games.

Interim coach Jay Triano said Alex Len will start in Chandler’s place against the Clippers.

Reed to G League

The Suns assigned rookie guard Davon Reed to the NAZ Suns.

Reed, the 32nd overall pick in last June's draft, averaged 1.3 points in seven games with Phoenix.

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