Clippers’ Paul George: Suns ‘can do the chirping but I stayed in my zone’

There’s no arguing that this Phoenix Suns team is different.

There is a fight and grittiness to them on both ends of the floor with a common goal the likes of Devin Booker has stated: Win the West.

And after a 10-year hiatus from the playoffs, Phoenix is back not only in the postseason conversation, but among those competing for the NBA’s biggest prize.

However, the lack of national recognition — compared to the likes of the Los Angeles squads and Brooklyn Nets — has built a chip on the shoulders of Booker and Co., who sport the league’s second-best record at 36-15.

The Suns are coming off of a nationally televised back-to-back against the Utah Jazz in Phoenix on Wednesday and the Clippers in Los Angeles on Thursday.

And after Phoenix beat the NBA’s best 117-113 in overtime, Clippers forward Paul George had a message for the Suns following Los Angeles’ 113-103 win in which he led all scorers with 33 points.

“We focused on us. They can do the chirping, but I stayed in my zone,” George said after the game. “[Thursday night] was a fun matchup and we appreciate the challenge.”

You won't want to miss the second half of this one.

📺 @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/Sn4c5JG84y

— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) April 9, 2021

The game also featured three technical fouls, two flagrants and a pair of ejections, all of which occurred in the second half.

“We competed and fought. It was chippy, but that is going to happen and I’m OK with it,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. “We brought the physicality in the second half after they did that in the second quarter. We answered the challenge.”

The Suns are 0-2 against the Clippers this season, the first of which was a 112-107 loss in Phoenix in what was both team’s seventh game on the year.

But despite the losses to Los Angeles on the 2020-21 campaign, the Suns currently hold a two-game lead over the Clippers in the Western Conference standings.

And with just over five weeks until the start of the NBA postseason, the two teams will meet once more at Phoenix Suns Arena on April 28 in what should be a playoff-like atmosphere and perhaps a preview of what’s to come.

“This is what I play the game for. I enjoy the aggressiveness,” Kawhi Leonard said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Follow @jwa1994