The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns 113-103 at Staples Center on Thursday, putting an end to the opponents' seven-game winning streak.

The Suns just edged over the Utah Jazz in overtime less than 24 hours ago. Going 5-11 in triples in the first half against the Clippers seemed to have burnt the last energy they had because, in the second half, the Suns were 1-12 from downtown and only scored 47 points.

Paul George was definitely the best-performing player of the Clippers on Thursday night. He went 12-19 on the field and 7-9 in 3-pointers to drop court-high 33 points. His existence made the Suns choose between the devil and the blue sea: The Suns need Deandre Ayton for rim protection and rebounding, but even a big man as fast and agile as Ayton found it hard to defend George after switching, especially when George had such hot hands from the 3-point line.

Moreover, what's more, important than George's incredible performance in Thursday's game was that coach Tyronn Lue might have found a clutch time solution for his team. When Rajon Rondo was on the floor with Kawhi Leonard, George, Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris, the four shooters created great spacing while Rondo played commander in the head of the key.

The major differences between this lineup from another space-stretching squad before are that the Clippers' shooters keep moving, three of them can also shoot in the middle range, and most importantly, Leonard and George can launch attacks off their own dribbles when they find a mismatch.

Of course, this lineup is not perfect. Though both Leonard and George are elite defenders, you don't want them to defend Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or Joel Embiid for 30+minutes. Nor are four forwards reliable in rebound protecting in front of Rudy Gobert. It's also hard to say how well they can do trying to defend the Big 3 – Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving – of the Brooklyn Nets. Furthermore, it does not sound wise to assume that Rondo, who has been shooting at 31.8 percent from the arc in his career, remain as sharp as 3-4 in triples in a series.

One thing in Thursday's game that also deserves more attention is that Lue sent Rondo to the game earlier than usual in the second half only because Patrick Beverley was ejected. Beverley received a flagrant-2 foul after flipping Chris Paul at midcourt. There is playing tough and there is playing dirty. Whatever Beverley's intention was, he crossed the line.

Other games on Thursday (away teams come first):

Chicago Bulls 122-113 Toronto Raptors

Los Angeles Lakers 104-110 Miami Heat

Cleveland Cavaliers 129-102 Oklahoma City Thunder

Milwaukee Bucks 101-116 Dallas Mavericks

Portland Trail Blazers 103-122 Utah Jazz

Detroit Pistons 113-101 Sacramento Kings