"Having a war with the Clippers reserves": NBA fans berate Phoenix Suns after barely escaping past LA's 3rd string 

The Phoenix Suns survived the depleted LA Clippers with a 124-108 result in LA, improving to 47-33 on the season and potentially avoiding dropping further in the standings. The Suns, seventh in the standings, have a 2.5-game advantage over the ninth-placed LA Lakers.

However, the eventual scoreline and the result from Wednesday's game tell a different story from how things went down for Phoenix. The healthy Suns were unexpectedly in a battle against the Clippers' third-string team that was without their star quartet of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

The Suns gained a 13-point advantage in the first half, but that lead got shredded by a 20-4 run from the Clippers, inspired by Bones Hyland. LA went into the locker room with a 56-55 advantage instead and built on it before the Suns executed their plans in the clutch.

The Clippers led by six with 8:54 left in the fourth, their biggest lead. However, they couldn't hold onto it, with Devin Booker turning up the heat, as he added 10 of his 37 points to restore order for the Suns. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal also chipped in with timely buckets that led to the Suns' win.

However, NBA fans didn't miss the chance to let the Phoenix Suns hear it about nearly losing this game to the LA Clippers' third-string team as KingTez2414 wrote:

"Suns having a war with the clippers reserves then ni**as so fucking cooked it don't make no sense lmao"

BronWorld taunted a post celebrating Booker's 37-point outing:

"Against who?"

HimmyCarter_ gave a harsh assessment of the Suns' playoff ceiling:

"Suns might be first round exits"

KCPMuse cited Bones Hyland's performance:

"Outperformed by Bones Hyland"

More reactions on X followed:

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Phoenix Suns have a lot to improve to challenge for the title

The Phoenix Suns are nowhere close to top-tier title challengers this season. They came into the season with great expectations but have failed to live up to the hype. Many blamed injuries for their inconsistency, but they have been healthy for a brief stint lately, yet the results haven't been much different.

Their offensive execution is still missing, with too much isolation play between their three superstars, especially in the clutch. The Suns are the worst fourth-quarter team among teams in playoff contention. Meanwhile, their team defense isn't close to the level of other top contenders favored to win the Western Conference.

The Suns were down 34-6 to start Tuesday's contest against a Clippers team without Leonard and Harden. On Wednesday, they trailed the Leonard, Harden, Paul George and Russell Westbrook-less Clippers by six in the fourth quarter. They allowed Bones Hyland a season-high 37 points and nine assists on 51.2% shooting (six 3s).

The Phoenix Suns may not be able to afford that against the Denver Nuggets or the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. That could lead to an early exit, a result certainly not expected from Frank Vogel's team this season.