The Dakar Rally resumed on Sunday after a day’s break. Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah stayed comfortably ahead overall, while Sebastien Loeb moved back into second place after winning stage seven of the rally.
Loeb’s second stage win of 2022 left France’s nine times world rally champion, driving for the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team, some 45 minutes adrift of his factory Toyota rival in the car category with five stages to go.
Al Attiyah, chasing his fourth Dakar title in the desert dunes, was second in the 402km timed seventh stage from the capital Riyadh west to Al Dawadimi but more than five minutes slower than Loeb.
“The second week of the Dakar is another race… today from the beginning we were not pushing but in the last part we pushed a little bit just to see,” said the Qatari, runner-up last year to French Dakar great Stephane Peterhansel.
Loeb said he had engine problems in the last 50km, costing him precious time.
“There is no strategy…we’ll do our race, try and attack and see what happens in the end,” he said.
Stage 7 – 🚗
🥇 Sebastien Loeb 🥈 Nasser Al-Attiyah 🥉 Carlos Sainz
Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren took the overall lead in the motorcycles from Britain’s Sam Sunderland, who fell back to fourth and some five-and-a-half minutes off the pace after finishing 28th.
Chilean rider Jose Ignacio Cornejo won the stage on a Honda.
Australian Daniel Sanders, Sunderland’s GasGas team mate who won the first and sixth stages, was taken to hospital after crashing and injuring his left arm on the way to a timed stage he had been due to lead off in.
“It was a bit of a rough day. It started out bad for Sanders with a crash in the liaison and then the stage was really, really difficult with the navigation,” said Sunderland.
“We still have so many long days in front of us and I’m sure there’ll be some more opportunities to attack, to recuperate some time.”
Russian Dmitry Sotnikov led the truck category and Frenchman Alexandre Giroud the quadbikes.
“Another run done this morning, me and Joe Parker, in the icy cold weather,” said Fury.
“Everything’s going well, I’m getting stronger and fitter and slimmer by the day. Big up!”
And Parker, who boasts 309,000 followers on the platform, told The Sun the Manchester man had the ability to push him harder than anyone else in training.
“Tyson’s a different beast altogether. I’ve trained alongside him and I know the levels. Out of everyone I’ve seen and trained with, he’s up here,” he said.
“He doesn’t muck around in camp. We don’t muck around in camp. But when we have fun, we have fun. And it’s the best fun.”
Should Fury prevail in his next bout, it should finally pave the way for a unification bout, either with Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk.
Their rematch is set for the spring, with the British fighter aiming to win back the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO belts he lost in September.
MAKING HIS WAY through the Golden State Warriors locker room following a preseason win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Zaza Pachulia heard the familiar sound of a ball bouncing on the organization’s practice floor.
Pachulia assumed one of the Warriors’ young players was getting some extra shots in. What the longtime NBA big man and Warriors consultant saw next surprised him.
He found Klay Thompson, dressed in a full uniform, shooting by himself. The 31-year-old has been away from the game for over two years while rehabbing a pair of career-altering injuries. He tore the ACL in his left knee in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals and his right Achilles in November 2020.
“That’s a day when he already had a workout,” Pachulia said. “He already got his rehab, workout, whatever he’s doing and he did it. So he was getting extra shots up. It was telling, that moment; [you] understood how much this guy cares, how much this guy misses playing basketball.”
Pachulia, dressed in a full suit, ended up rebounding for his close friend that night on the practice floor. Like so many others in the organization, he has tried to provide any emotional support he can, while also preparing Thompson for his basketball return.
A month later, Thompson, dressed in a No. 77 Jackie Moon jersey — the number is a nod to his perceived snub from the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, and the headband and jersey to the character Will Ferrell portrayed in the 2008 comedy “Semi-Pro” — has just finished the type of personal workout that has become part of his routine throughout the arduous rehab cycle.
As much as he has tried to push away the frustration from not being voted to the 75th anniversary team, the snub bothers him because of what he has accomplished as one of the game’s best shooters, and because of the titles he helped his team win.
After the rest of his teammates complete a workout inside the Warriors’ main practice gym, Thompson, flanked by Pachulia, takes the 14 steps from the locker room through the tunnel and walks onto the floor at Chase Center.
Thompson enjoys the privacy the floor provides. It’s empty, it’s quiet and it’s out of the spotlight that he actively tries to stay away from. He loves the game, but not always the extra attention that comes with being one of the greatest shooters of all time.
When asked why his personality resonates with so many people, Thompson puts his head down and pauses before saying anything.
“Maybe it’s just — it’s just the real me,” he tells ESPN. “I’m just not putting on a front. It’s just the real me. Whether I’m behind the helm, on the court, I’m just going to be myself. I don’t care what people say. I’m just going to be myself.”
It’s why Warriors teammates, coaches, support staff and the Bay Area in general have fallen in love with the sharpshooting guard from Washington State over the last decade.
But it’s what Pachulia says next that helps explain why the organization is so ecstatic about adding the former five-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion back into the fold of a team that has vaulted itself right back into the championship conversation.
“And he loves winning,” Pachulia adds. “I’ll tell you that.”
After more than two years away from the game, and with a chip on his shoulder from being left off the NBA75 list, Thompson says he is “hungrier” than ever to get back to his winning ways and join a team that is primed to return to the postseason after a two-season absence.
“I know myself. I know how good I am. I know the things I’ve done. … It’s like — how many times do I have to do something that no one else has ever done before and get respect? Do I have to go score 50 in a quarter now? Like, what the hell? It’s whatever though, man. It’s over with. I’m going to use it as fuel.”
WHEN THOMPSON TORE his right Achilles, his friends knew they had to do something to help take his mind off the severity of the situation. Knowing that the mental aspect of rehab can be just as taxing, the Splash Brother’s teammates rallied behind him in different ways.
Pachulia, for one, wanted Thompson to find some kind of outlet for himself outside of basketball.
“That’s the exact conversation we had,” Pachulia said. “What hobbies can you find? … I want him to come back, I want him to — commit [to rehab]. You have to commit. It’s hard to commit if you’re not enjoying your life and yourself. So obviously basketball is taken away, so what’s next? How can we help Klay? He said, ‘Let’s try a boat. Let’s do it.'”
Thompson — who has long discussed his love of the water, having spent plenty of time in the Bahamas, where his father Mychal is from — purchased a boat in Southern California during the early part of the pandemic and drove it back to his home in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“I just always loved swimming,” Thompson explained. “Visiting family in the Bahamas growing up, I’ve really enjoyed snorkeling and seeing all the sea life, and I think I took that trait into adulthood. I just really love the sense of adventure and exploration and seeing new things that are right in your backyard that you probably weren’t able to see before if you didn’t have a boat or access to the ocean. And it just opened up a whole new world for me.”
The boat, which Thompson still drives to games and practices, has provided an opportunity for him to clear his mind and invest in a new hobby.
“I think everybody needs an outlet of some sort,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “For Steph and Andre [Iguodala], it’s the golf course. … So I think the fact that Klay has found so much joy in taking his boat out on the Bay, it’s a perfect way to balance his life out, give him the sunshine that he needs after being in the gym all day.”
Thompson even extended an invitation to his teammate, 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, to join him over the summer on his boat. The 20-year-old center, who had his rookie season cut short because of a meniscus injury, has been rehabbing alongside Thompson. They’ve developed a friendship based on hours together in the gym and the locker room.
“Basically, he said, ‘Always be the captain of your ship,'” Wiseman said of their time on the boat together. “So I looked at it as always be in control of your life and don’t let nobody be in control of your life. Always be that type of person where you want to be a leader. Don’t be afraid to be a leader. It’s a lot of people that’s afraid to be that, but I’m not afraid to be a leader. So I’m just asking questions and learning ways like how I could become a better player vocally, and just stuff like that in terms of a basketball terminology.”
The pair’s paths continued to cross as they went down for several rehab assignments with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz, California. Thompson used the moment to advocate for the signing of Quinndary Weatherspoon, who caught his eye during practices. Weatherspoon, who is now signed to a two-way deal with the Warriors, said Thompson’s advice was simple.
“Guard them like you guard me and everything else will take care of itself,” Weatherspoon said. “He’s just telling me to keep playing within myself and everything will work out.”
Wiseman noted that Thompson was “very inspirational to me,” and tried to keep the young center’s spirits up as the pair went through the arduous rehab process together.
“During the summer when I was still on my crutches and stuff and I had my brace, I was like really down mentally,” Wiseman admitted. “But at the same time I’m a really strong person, but it’s just hard watching the games and you can’t play. So I was kind of down mentally, but he encouraged me to keep going. … We just kept each other uplifted throughout this offseason and we’re doing it every day.”
Even with a healthy outlet and the support of his teammates, Thompson couldn’t hide his frustration after a Nov. 26 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Sitting in street clothes, he sat on the bench for over 30 minutes after the game, much of that time spent with a towel over his head. Teammates and coaches, including Kerr, Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, came out to check on him as fans chanted “Thompson! Thompson!” to try and lift up his spirits.
“Two-plus years is a long time,” Curry said later. “I think going into this particular season and him getting closer than he’s ever been to getting back on the floor — kind of predicted this would be the hardest part of his journey because he’s got the basketball back in his hands every day, feeling like himself. He’s playing pickup, he’s around our practices and he’s back with us in those types of situations, but he’s still not on the court. … And it shows how much this game matters to him.
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Check out the best moments from Klay Thompson, who is making his return to the court for the first time since 2019.
AS THE REST of the world wonders exactly what kind of player Thompson will be when he returns, he is hell-bent on showing that he can be the same player he was before the injuries.
While the Warriors have gone out of their way to make sure Thompson feels comfortable as he returns, they also have the added bonus of a 29-9 record heading into Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, one game behind the Phoenix Suns for first place in the Western Conference. Kerr has already said Thompson will start, although it remains to be seen how many minutes he will play early in his return.
“I’m excited to get out there and prove to people who I am,” Thompson says. “I know they forgot because I’ve been out for two years, but I’ve never been hungrier seeing that stuff. Never been hungrier. And the best way at revenge is to win. Seriously.”
That’s exactly what Curry and the rest of the Warriors are banking on — and that’s the message one Splash Brother had for the other.
“It’s out of his control,” Curry said. “He’s quickly turned it to the fuel-to-the-fire type of situation. But it’s also, for him, having been away from the game for that long, he’s like, ‘People forgot how good I am.’ So that’s his mission — remind people.”
Thompson struggles to put into words what it will be like when he finally returns.
Curry, however, does not.
“It’s like when you go to a Broadway play or you go see ‘Hamilton’ and all the cast comes out at the end,” Curry said. “Like the whole stage is doing the bows and curtsies and all that, and the whole audience is going nuts because they really appreciate the show that they got to see. … And then it will hopefully be an energy like during his 37-point quarter where every time he shoots, it will be like a game winner.”
Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime put in commanding performances against Spanish opponents to win their respective singles matches and fire Canada to the ATP Cup title on Sunday.
Shapovalov showed plenty of aggression to beat Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-4 6-3 in the opening singles rubber to put Canada one win away from winning the $10 million team-based competition.
World number 11 Auger-Aliassime then served strongly to take down Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6(3) 6-3 and give Canada an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie.
Canada, the first team in the ATP Cup’s three-year history to have lost a tie en route to the final, were swept by the United States in their group opener and also lost their first match against Britain.
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But Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov, who had contracted the novel coronavirus in the leadup to the tournament, bounced back with tie wins over Britain, Germany and then last year’s winners Russia.
That trophy looks great with a Canadian flag. 🇨🇦🇨🇦
“The emotions are unbelievable. There’s no better feeling than winning. We left everything out there,” said Auger-Aliassime. “We came back from far in this competition, losing our first four matches. But we never stopped believing.
“I think that’s very important. We trust each other to the highest level … it came down to the perfect result. I’m super thrilled for everybody in the whole team and myself, of course.”
No vaccine means no access: Tennis champ Novak Djokovic fights deportation from Australia
No vaccine means no access: Tennis champ Novak Djokovic fights deportation from Australia
Carreno Busta came into the evening contest at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney brimming with confidence, having not dropped a set all week and with a 4-1 head-to-head record against the 14th-ranked Shapovalov.
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But the 22-year-old left-hander survived a barrage of breakpoint chances, including five in the opening game of the match, and held his nerve to claim victory in an hour and 38 minutes to give Canada a 1-0 lead in the tie.
“(I had) a little bit of nerves going out. Obviously I’ve got a tough record against Carreno Busta, so I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Shapovalov said.
Spain ended up as ATP Cup runner-up for a second time after losing the 2020 final to Serbia.
Auger-Aliassime saved 10 of the 11 break points he faced, hit 15 aces against Bautista Agut and another big serve on his second matchpoint was enough to close out the match in two hours and 10 minutes and spark celebrations in the Canada camp.
Tennis stars Felix Auger-Aliassime, Leyla Fernandez return home after U.S. Open
Tennis stars Felix Auger-Aliassime, Leyla Fernandez return home after U.S. Open – Sep 14, 2021
Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Lincoln Feast and Hugh Lawson
KAPALUA, Hawaii — Jon Rahm matched the low score of his career, tied the course record at Kapalua and played his last 12 holes in 11-under par for a 61. He needed it just to catch Cameron Smith in the Sentry Tournament of Champions on Saturday.
In an outrageously low-scoring start to the new year on the PGA Tour, Rahm and Smith pulled away from the rest of the winners-only field by going shot-for-shot, putt-for-putt across so much of the back nine on the defenseless Plantation course.
Rahm capped off his birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie finish with putts from just inside 30 feet and 15 feet for his 12-under 61. That tied the course record set a few hours earlier by Justin Thomas, who was one shot behind when he finished, nine shots back when the day was done.
The average score of 67.7 was the lowest at Kapalua since the Tournament of Champions moved to the west end of Maui in 1999. The previous record was 67.8 set the day before.
There’s nothing to stop these guys except themselves, and that wasn’t happening.
Rahm and Smith were at 26-under 193, five shots clear of Daniel Berger, who had a third consecutive round of 66. That wasn’t nearly good enough for this week of warm weather, little wind and low scoring.
Ernie Els set the PGA Tour record for lowest score to par at 31 under in 2003 at Kapalua. That’s very much in jeopardy.
“Some really good golf from both us,” Smith said.
He had a 3-shot lead at the start of the third round, was still 3 shots ahead through six holes and then was 8-under par over his last 12 holes — and he lost the outright lead.
Rahm, the No. 1 player in the world and looking likely to keep the ranking, was at his best in his first competition since the middle of October.
He closed out the front nine with three straight birdies and started the back nine with two straight birdies. The only holes were he had to settle for par were No. 12 (where he missed a birdie putt from just inside 12 feet) and No. 13 (he left a 10-foot putt short).
His best was a second shot into the par-5 15th that rolled to 4 feet for an eagle. That pulled him within 1 shot, for Smith had to settle for a two-putt birdie. They matched birdies the rest of the way, both making from just inside 30 feet on No. 17, until the closing par 5.
Both came up short, not unusual with a front pin and the grain running severely away from them. Smith narrowly missed from 15 feet, while Rahm holed his 8-foot birdie putt.
As for the other 36 winners in the field? Not all of them are out of it.
Patrick Cantlay was trying to stay with the leaders until his wedge to a back pin on the 16th came out hot and found the rough behind the green, leading to a bogey that felt much worse. He wound up with a 66 and fell 6 shots back, along with Matt Jones (62) and Sungjae Im (65).
Thomas had a 74 in the opening round and had little reason to like his chances until he pulled away by playing his last seven holes in 7 under. That gave him a 61 and at least some hope, just not for very long.
All 38 players were under par, with Jason Kokrak bringing up the rear at 5-under 214.
Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open preparations remain on track after he beat American Maxime Cressy 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 in the final of the Melbourne Summer Set on Sunday.
Nadal decided to play the lower level tournament to get some match practice after missing much of 2021 with injury and Covid-19.
He has not been totally fluent this week and was pushed hard by the American qualifier, but Nadal had too much experience for the 24-year-old serve-volleyer.
It was Nadal’s 89th title on the ATP tour and the win ensures he has won at least one singles crown every year for the past 19 years.
Nadal said that, while he was not in perfect shape, he was happy with his form so far.
“Exactly where I would like to be is being 100 percent healthy from last year, playing until the end of the season, and with not having come back after five, six months away from competition,” he said.
“So of course I am not exactly the place that I want to be.
He said while he was sick he could not get out of bed for days, but once he began to recover he had no doubt he would come to Australia to try to win his second title at Melbourne Park.
“There have been some very challenging moments, and I have been working very hard even in the very tough moments,” Nadal said.
“I am quite satisfied the way that I approached all these very challenging months in terms of attitude, in terms of positive spirit and in terms of passion to try to be back.
“This title helps to keep going, and it’s of course just the beginning.”
Harry Maguire admits Manchester United deserve criticism for their sub-standard performances this season but has played down rumours of disharmony in the dressing room.
Ralf Rangnick suffered his first defeat as interim manager against Wolves last week, which was followed by reports of unrest among the players.
Maguire said United — seventh in the Premier League — must do better as they prepare for a third-round FA Cup tie against Aston Villa on Monday.
“I’ve obviously seen a lot of criticism and a lot of is absolutely justified, but for me, with this team, it shouldn’t need criticism to motivate players,” Maguire said in an interview published on the club’s website.
“We all have to take massive responsibility, myself as captain as much as anyone, if not more,” he said.
“We’ve got to start playing well and winning…. This team finished second last year and we have a better and bigger squad this year, so we have to show the right attitude.”
Maguire played down suggestions of disharmony among the players but admitted it was tough to keep all the members of a big squad happy.
“We are all angry and want to do our best, which has probably come across on the pitch at times, but the team spirit is good, despite what people say,” the England defender said.
“Being a professional footballer, you have to take criticism on the chin and react well to it. At the same time, you have to ignore the outside noise sometimes and just get your head down (in training).”
The former Leicester defender added: “I came here to win titles. I could have signed elsewhere, but I wanted to be at United and help get them back to the winning ways that the club had in the Sir Alex (Ferguson) era.
“It will come if we all stay together. I grew up idolising the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic — and I want to repeat what they achieved.”
Kash Farooq, who Eddie Hearn dubbed last year “one of the brightest young stars in world boxing” has hung up his gloves for good due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Farooq was signed to Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing promotional company, the same branch which catapulted Anthony Joshua to worldwide stardom.
However, Matchroom have confirmed that their rising star will no longer be stepping into the ring.
A statement read: “Our well wishes are with @kashfarooq who has unfortunately had to retire due to unforeseen circumstances.
“No doubt was destined for World honours. A brilliant fighter and top man.
“Kash will now take up a role as Head of Talent for @StAndrewsSC.”
Farooq departs the sport with an impressive record of 16 wins (six by KO) and only one defeat from his 17 bantamweight bouts.
His most recent victory came via a unanimous decision victory over Luis Castillo Castillo in August last year at Matchroom HQ’s Garden.
Farooq departs the sport with an impressive record of 16 wins (six by KO) and only one defeat from his 17 bantamweight bouts.
His most recent victory came via a unanimous decision victory over Luis Castillo Castillo in August last year at Matchroom HQ’s Garden.
Prior to that win, Hearn explained his plan to take Farooq to the very top.
He said: “Kash is one of the brightest young stars in world boxing, not just in the bantamweight division.
“These are the kind of fights Kash needs, people who are going to come to win, people who will be aggressive and really test him.
“I look at it now and say, frankly we need to be looking at world title shots at the back end of this year. This is going to be a good measuring stick to tell us where we’re at.”
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, spoke of his expectations of the 2022 Formula 1 season, with the new aero regulations in effect, admitting he would be surprised if a certain team dominates.
Ever since the beginning of the Turbo-Hybrid era in 2014, F1 has been dominated by one team, Mercedes, who were on a winning streak ever since, taking championship doubles from 2014 up to 2020, before their stranglehold on the sport was broken by Red Bull, in 2021.
Red Bull succeeded with their ace Max Verstappen to take the F1 Drivers’ Crown in 2021 away from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton after a thrilling and controversial season topped with a season finale for the ages in Abu Dhabi, a race that took controversy to another level.
Mercedes, however, kept the Constructors’ Title in their coffers achieving a record-breaking eight consecutive teams’ titles.
Brown doesn’t believe a certain team will dominate
Zak Brown is hopeful that one-team-dominance will not be a feature of the upcoming season, admitting in an interview with Autosport, that he would be surprised if any of F1’s ten teams ends up dominating in 2022, courtesy of the cost cap and new aero regulations.
“I’d be very surprised if next year was a boring campaign with the new cars,” he said. “I think you’ll get some winners and losers and some surprises. I’d be surprised if there was dominance.”
A new era of regulations always gives the teams chances to find a loophole in the rules, or a silver bullet as was the case with Brawn GP, with their double diffuser giving them the upper hand in 2009 long enough to win both titles, before other teams could catch up.
Brown reflected on that scenario saying: “You could get a team who is maybe dominant for a small period of time like Brawn was when they figured out something in 2009.
“But I think with the cost cap now in place, you can feel the tension that is put on the teams who stopped developing this car in expensive of next year, etc.
The F1 field to continue to close up
“I’d be surprised if the field didn’t continue to get closer,” Brown claimed, and went on: “My hopes are that we go into Abu Dhabi next year with three or four cars who can compete for the championship, I think that’s the ultimate goal.
The 50-year-old American remains optimistic that the 2021 has planted the seed for future thrills in F1.
“I think this year has been spectacular, up and down the grid, and I hope with what has been put in place and the new car designs, and the intent of the new aerodynamic package, that what we’re seeing now is just a taste of the future,” he said.
Despite Mercedes and Red Bull dominating in 2021, Brown’s team McLaren were able to snatch a great 1-2 in the 2021 Italian GP, Daniel Ricciardo leading Lando Norris home, as Verstappen and Hamilton took each other during that race, with the Dutchman’s Red Bull infamously ending up on top of Hamilton’s Mercedes.
💬 @DanielRicciardo: “Even if I wanted to say something other than Monza, like Austin, which was a really fun weekend and I got a top-five in the race, I just can’t. I have to go with Monza.” 🏆
Also hear what @LandoNorris‘ proudest moment of the season was… 👇
PHOENIX — Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns have turned into some of the league’s best closers. It’s a big reason they’ve reached 30 wins before any other team in the NBA this season.
Paul had a triple-double with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, and the Suns improved to 25-0 when leading after three quarters by beating the LA Clippers 106-89 on Thursday night.
As usual, the 36-year-old Paul was the maestro making big plays in the final minutes to close out the Clippers. He hit a crucial 3-pointer and had five assists in the fourth quarter.
“Some teams’ biggest issue is that they don’t know what they want to run or who they want to go to down the stretch,” Paul said. “I think we have a good sense of that. We know what our go-to plays are.”
The Suns moved a game ahead of Golden State for the best record in the league. They’ve won three straight and four of five. That’s despite several players missing considerable time this season, including All-Star guard Devin Booker.
“I just think the players have done a really good job of driving our culture,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “We have unreal guard play, which really helps.”
Paul continues to look 26 years old instead of 36, doing a little of everything to keep the Suns among the league’s elite. His 13 rebounds were a career high in his 1,128th regular-season NBA game.
Cam Johnson added a career-high 24 points, and Jalen Smith — the second-year forward whose playing time has drastically increased recently because of the Suns’ COVID-19 issues — had another good game with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
“We’re having a lot of fun playing together,” Johnson said. “Things are starting to click.”
Those performances helped offset a tough night for Booker, who shot just 5 of 22 from the field and finished with 11 points. He was 0 of 7 on 3-pointers.
Williams said center Deandre Ayton, forward Jae Crowder and JaVale McGee have all cleared the league’s COVID-19 protocols, but were held out of the game as they work their way back into shape. Guard Landry Shamet is still in the protocol.
The Clippers dropped below .500 at 19-20 despite a season-high 26 points from former Suns forward Marcus Morris Sr. Reggie Jackson added 16. The Clippers were missing guards Luke Kennard and Xavier Moon, along with center Ivica Zubac, because of COVID-19 protocols.
“We scraped and competed,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “That is a good ball club over there and they played well. Their stars took over down the stretch and took over the game.”
The Suns led by 17 points midway through the third quarter, but the Clippers cut it to 73-66 in the next few minutes. The Suns took a 75-66 lead into the final quarter.
The Clippers pulled to 79-76 with 8:36 left when Amir Coffey converted a three-point play after making a layup while being fouled. But the Suns responded with the next six points and slowly pulled away.
The Suns jumped out to a 56-40 halftime lead after outscoring the Clippers by 15 in the second quarter. Johnson led the Suns with 17 points before the break. Morris had 13 for the Clippers.
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