PHOENIX — Jordan Goodwin scored 18 points in his return from a calf injury, Devin Booker added 17 and the Phoenix Suns cruised past the Clippers 133-110 on Tuesday night.
Phoenix shot 22 of 43 (51%) from three-point range and had seven players score in double digits, including five who came off the bench. Luke Kennard had 14 points, Jalen Green scored 13 and Collin Gillespie added 12 points and eight assists while Khaman Maluach contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Suns had a 17-point halftime lead and pushed the advantage to 91-59 with four minutes left in the third quarter. They have a 3-2 record so far on their season-long, seven-game homestand.
Goodwin — who signed a $19 million, three-year deal to return to the Suns during the offseason — made six of seven shots from beyond the arc in just 14 minutes. He missed the last three games.
The Clippers were coming off their first win in more than two weeks, but have now lost eight of their last nine games. Rui Hachimura, Baba Miller and Darius Garland all scored 13 points while Max Strus had 12.
Gillespie hit a three-pointer from 39 feet just before the halftime buzzer to give the Suns a 64-47 lead. Phoenix made 11 of 22 (50%) shots from beyond the arc before the break.
Two former teammates sized each other up. Luka Doncic waved off the screen. He wanted the matchup with Rui Hachimura. The crowd at Crypto.com Arena buzzed in anticipation.
Doncic smiled wide.
After four years in which he became a staple in the Lakers’ lineup, Hachimura returned to face his former team for the first time as a Clipper on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. The forward got a warm greeting from the fans, who welcomed him in the starting lineup with a loud roar. The Lakers played a video tribute during the first timeout to honor Hachimura’s four years with the franchise.
But as he started piling up his 16 points in the Lakers’ 125-117 win over their crosstown rival, the crowd started to turn on the sharp-shooting Hachimura.
“Traitor!” one fan yelled when he hit a shot during a tight first half before the Lakers pulled away by outscoring the Clippers 39-26 in the third quarter.
Hachimura, who left the Lakers in free agency, made his love for the team clear. He signed a relatively conservative two-year, $28-million deal with the Clippers, turning down other offers in part because he wanted to stay in L.A.
“It was amazing,” Hachimura said of his time with the Lakers. “I had a great time with them. The organization, yeah, of course I miss them, but it was time to move on. It was special, my four years, four seasons with them. I’m happy with the Clippers right now, and I gotta keep growing my career.”
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said playing the first game back in an old arena can be disorienting. He experienced it after leaving the Lakers, who drafted him in 1998, and returning with the Washington Wizards in 2002. He had never seen the other locker room in his former home arena.
“Just being on the other side, the other bench, in the other locker room, it was just really weird,” Lue said. “And then playing against guys that kind of taught you the game, kind of molded you as a player, and just sitting across from it, it was really weird for me.”
Hachimura jokingly walked toward the Lakers locker room before the game. Before beginning his pregame shooting routine, Hachimura hugged Lakers assistant Beau Levesque, who was Hachimura’s player development coach, and Lakers guard Austin Reaves, one of his closest friends.
Clippers forward Rui Hachimura, right, guards Lakers guard Luka Doncic in the first half Friday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
When Hachimura was traded to the Lakers in January 2023, Reaves was in his second season with the Lakers. While they became close, Reaves initially spent weeks thinking Hachimura didn’t speak English.
“I’d sit by him on the plane and he didn’t speak to me,” Reaves said this week. “After that, I couldn’t get him to shut up. Great guy, great player and I miss him.”
Hachimura developed into one of the Lakers’ most dependable shooters. A 35.6% three-point shooter while with Washington, where he was drafted ninth overall in 2019, Hachimura shot 44.3% from three during his last season with the Lakers. Lakers coach JJ Redick marveled at Hachimura’s reliable mid-range game that he once compared to “prime Michael Jordan.”
During the playoffs, when the injury-riddled Lakers stunned the Houston Rockets in the first round before losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, Hachimura shot a sizzling 56.9% (15 for 31) from three. His career 51.6% postseason three-point shooting percentage is the highest in NBA history.
Hachimura filled a supporting role with the Lakers, where he was overshadowed by Reaves, Doncic and LeBron James. But with the Clippers, he has a leading opportunity. Hachimura had the second-most shot attempts among Clippers players Friday, going five for 14 from the field and three for six from three.
Facing different defenses than he saw while being the Lakers’ fourth offensive option, Hachimura’s efficiency has dipped. He is shooting 29.6% from the field and 38.5% from three while averaging 13 points and seven rebounds for the Clippers (0-2).
“I think understanding some of the actions we’re trying to run from him, like being quicker, being faster, not allowing guys to get back to his body so he can come off open, and just timing things,” Lue said of how Hachimura can adjust to being a focal point of an opposing team’s scouting report. “Little timing things here and there. We know when it’s post up, teams are doubling. So he has to find a way in transition, playing faster, attacking early, attacking faster in transition, but we’ll get him shots.”
During pregame warmups, Doncic sprinted out of the Lakers tunnel and straight to Hachimura, who was warming up in the corner. Doncic wrapped his former teammate in a hug. They laughed and joked all the way to midcourt before Hachimura resumed his shooting.
When the game started, Hachimura hit his first three over Doncic, who was late to close out. The Lakers star waved his hand in mock disgust toward Hachimura.
The Lakers appeared to be on their way to almost being whole Friday night when guard Collin Sexton returned to play for the first time this season. Then word came that key role player Jake LaRavia was out because of an ankle injury.
Still, the Lakers pressed on in their second game, a game against the crosstown rival Clippers, a game with meaning for both teams.
Though the Lakers were sloppy with the ball in the fourth quarter, having six players score in double figures helped them pull out a 125-117 win over the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.
Austin Reaves led the way with 28 points and nine assists, but he had six turnovers. Luka Doncic had 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds, but he had 11 of the Lakers’ 21 turnovers.
Walker Kessler was a force again, scoring 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking six shots.
The Lakers led by 15 points in the second half after the score was tied at halftime, but kept turning the ball over and saw the lead sliced to six with three minutes and 18 seconds left on a basket by Darius Garland, who finished with 26 points.
But Kessler played big in the final few minutes, making two free throws and blocking a shot late in the game.
Kessler sopened the game with his defensive presence. He stole the basketball and took it the length of the court for a two-handed dunk in the first quarter.
Kessler blocked a shot by Derrick Jones Jr., leading to a three-pointer by Reaves for an 89-77 Lakers lead in the third quarter.
Kessler then went to work on the backboards, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring on a reverse layup while being fouled by Brook Lopez. Kessler flexed and yelled. He missed the free throw, but his basket had given the Lakers a 91-77 in the third quarter and it kept their momentum going.
Kessler kept up his fantastic play in the fourth quarter, challenging a shot on defense by Rui Hachimura and then running on the fast break to catch a lob from Reaves for a two-handed dunk and a 15-point Lakers lead.
It was also the return of Hachimura, who spent 3 ½-seasons with the Lakers before joining the Clippers this summer on a two-year, $28-million deal. The well-liked Hachimura was shown just how much when the Lakers played highlights from when he played with them.
Clippers forward Rui Hachimura, playing tight defense on Lakers guard Luka Doncic, returned to Crypto.com Arena where played for parts of three seasons. He had 16 points, six rebounds and two steals.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Hachimura had 12 points at the half, doing his part to help the Clippers stay at 64-64.
Before the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick spoke glowingly of how Hachimura played during the preseason for the Clippers.
“They’re running a lot of the same stuff for Rui that they ran for PG [Paul George] and at times Kawhi [Leonard],” Redick said. “He’s playing free and he’s playing ultra-aggressive right now.”
With three minutes and 52 seconds left in the first quarter, Sexton checked into the game, and his first play was a steal.
Sexton missed the first regular-season game and five exhibition games because of lower leg injury. He played 16 minutes and had five points and three steals.
Etc.
LaRavia didn’t play because of a sprained right ankle. LaRavia played in all 82 games last season for the first time in his career. His goal was to play in all 82 this season, but he’s already missed his first game and might not be available to play until Sunday at Utah or Tuesday at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“We talked last week and mentioned that was one of his goals for the season. He had the same goal last year and he was able to do that,” Redick said. “Play through some stuff at times last year. Wanted to play. We talked to him this morning before shoot-around and I was going to try to give it a go and went to the treatment room and just it’s not there, but he’s hopeful he could be back Sunday, if not Tuesday.”
Darius Garland, microphone in hand, waited patiently at midcourt to speak before the Clippers tipped off their 2026-27 NBA season against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night at Intuit Dome.
“Clipper Nation, Clipper Nation,” the eighth-year guard said to raucous cheers in Inglewood. “We’ve been working hard all summer, ready to really turn up this year. [We’ll] try to play at the highest level. [I] really appreciate the support from my teammates, coaching staff [and] organization — really appreciate everybody that comes out and … continues to support. We’re gonna be here all year.
“Clipper Nation, let’s go.”
Garland wasted no time giving Clippers fans something to smile about after an offseason of torment and transformation. He started the game shooting five-for-five from the field and three-for-three from deep, scoring 16 points in nine minutes and fueling the Clippers’ 121-96 blowout win over the Kings.
Beginning his first full season in Los Angeles after being acquired from Cleveland in a trade for James Harden in February, Garland led the Clippers with 30 points on 11-for-19 shooting and four assists.
Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis, meanwhile, did the heavy lifting for Sacramento, with the shooting guard scoring 28 points and the center facilitating the offense with 14 points, eight assists and 18 rebounds.
Key Kings forward Keegan Murray was scoreless through the first three quarters and was held to just two points. And rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr., whom Sacramento selected No. 7 in the draft out of Arkansas, posted 12 points on an abysmal five-for-24 shooting in his debut.
The Clippers, however, had fun to start the post-Kawhi Leonard era.
Following Garland’s lead, L.A.’s returners, including forward Derrick Jones Jr., guard Kris Dunn and centers Isaiah Jackson and Brook Lopez, were efficient and productive. Jones finished with eight points, five assists, six rebounds and an electric alley-oop slam; Dunn had seven points, seven assists and five rebounds with his usual hard-nosed defense; Jackson had 13 points and five rebounds; and Lopez had 17 points and 11 rebounds.
But Clippers fans were plenty focused on the new guys.
Former Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, who signed a three-year deal with the crosstown rival in the offseason, struggled in his Clippers debut and finished with 10 points on three-for-13 shooting. Guard Gradey Dick, a piece of the offseason trade that sent Leonard back to Toronto, was far more productive with 12 points.
Then there’s the rookie out of Illinois.
Keaton Wagler, the Clippers’ No. 5 pick in the draft, posted 15 points with five assists and five rebounds off the bench. The team’s highest draft pick since Blake Griffin (No. 1 in 2009) was clearly comfortable from the jump and gave his new fan base plenty to be hopeful for.
“He’s already shown that he’s mature,” coach Tyronn Lue said pregame. “I think he doesn’t get rattled, and just being around him for the last few months, whether he’s making shots [or] missing shots [and] not playing well, he’s always the same. He has the confidence to just keep shooting the balls, even when he’s missing.”
Wagler had an assist on his first touch and converted a savvy layup for his first career points.
Fellow rookie Baba Miller, a forward the Clippers drafted with the No. 36 pick, finished with four points and three rebounds.
Lue — whose first starting lineup featured Garland, Dunn, Jones Jr., Hachimura and Jackson — and the Clippers are in unfamiliar territory without a superstar on the roster and with most outsiders expecting the team’s streak of 15 consecutive plus-.500 campaigns to end.
But as Clippers interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden nervously said on media day, the team works well with its back against the wall.
Injury updates
The Clippers said guard Bradley Beal (knee), center Yanic Konan Niederhauser (foot) and forwards Brandon Ingram (heel) and Max Strus (foot) are all making progress in their rehab journeys but won’t travel for the team’s first road game on Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
