The Los Angeles Clippers (56 - 26) defeated the Phoenix Suns (39 - 43) 112 - 101 on Tuesday at the US Airways Center and are now guaranteed finish no lower than the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Clippers led by as many as 30 points in this contest, but their reserves allowed the Suns to cut the lead down to 11 late in the fourth quarter. Still, the lead proved to be insurmountable as the Clippers notched a franchise - record eighth consecutive road win. Chris Paul finished with 22 points and six assists over 29 minutes of action and DeAndre Jordan had another double - double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Paul played in all 82 games this season for the first time in his career. Los Angeles finished the regular season winning 14 of its final 15 games and seven in a row. While the Clippers starting lineup is loaded with star power, questions remain about their bench corps being an Achilles heel in the post season. The Rockets and Spurs, both sitting at 55 - 26, will finish their respective seasons Wednesday. Those games have major implications on the West's final standings, but the Clippers will be slotted no lower than third. Phoenix's disappointing second half came to an end Tuesday. The Suns had a legitimate chance at winning the eighth seed in the West when they moved to 38 - 33 in late March, but a 1 - 9 finish down the stretch eliminated them from contention. Phoenix started the year with a crowded back court that featured Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas, and Eric Bledsoe, but a flurry of trade deadline moves jettisoned Dragic and Thomas to the Eastern Conference and brought Brandon Knight to the Suns. Knight was hampered by an ankle injury for much of the second half of the season, causing him to miss all but one game after March 9. The Suns have narrowly missed the playoffs two years in a row, but players like Markieff Morris and Eric Bledsoe should keep them a competitive team next season.
["TeamStat(G,'Suns') has 43 Losses ,has 101 Total points ,has 39 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 26 Losses ,has 112 Total points ,has 56 Wins ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'DeAndre Jordan') has 13 Assists ,has 14 Free throws made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Chris Paul') has 6 Assists ,has 29 Free throws made ,has 22 Minutes played ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Markieff Morris') has 2 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Eric Bledsoe') has 9 Assists ,has 2 Free throws made ,has 1 Minutes played ,has 1 Offensive rebounds ,has 2 Points ."]