The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Phoenix Suns 116-107 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday, securing their second straight win before entering the NBA All-Star break.

Though the two sides have four All-Star calibers – Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the Clippers' side, Chris Paul and Devin Booker on the Suns' roster – their role players were in the limelight in the first half of Thursday's competition.

Terance Mann, 26, had one of his best performances of the season for the Clippers after making 10 of his 12 field goals (FGs), including three from downtown, to score court-high 26 points. His efficient drives in transition and individual attack that targeted Chris Paul caused a lot of trouble for the Suns' defense.

In his second game for the Clippers, Eric Gordon got 13 points and seven assists off the bench. Not only did he shoot 2-for-5 at the 3-point line, he also earned five free throws, the second-most of the team. Mason Plumlee contributed six points, six rebounds and three assists as the backup center.

On the Suns' side, Josh Okogie, who had averaged less than 15 minutes this season, played over 41 minutes on Thursday night, the longest in the team, and scored team-high 24 points. He shot surprisingly well behind the arc to drain six triples out of 12 attempts, which made it easier for Okogie cut through and charge the rim.

Terrance Ross made his debut for the Suns and played his first game in nearly a month. Having come off the bench, he contributed 16 points and four assists after going 6-for-9 within the 3-point line. Unfortunately, he missed seven of his eight triples, failing to stretch the spacing for the team.

As the game entered the second half, Leonard and George snapped out of struggle first. Having missed all eight of his FGs, six of which were perimeter jumpers, Leonard increased his attacking of the Suns paint in the third quarter. He earned and made five throws while draining three mid-range jump shots to score 11 points in this period alone.

George took over from Leonard in the fourth quarter to carry the Clippers' offense. He went 4-for-6 within the 3-point line to get 10 of the team's 25 points in this period, shutting down the opponents' final efforts to come back.

By contrast, Paul and Booker both remained cold for the whole game after combing to go 8-for-24 from the field. Booker had nine assists but also committed five turnovers. Paul got 11 assists, but scored only five points. He also contributed four steals in Thursday's game to surpass Michael Jordan (2,514) as the third on the NBA all-time steals leaders list. Paul (2,515), 37, is currently behind only Jason Kidd (2,684) and John Stockton (3,265).

Other games on Thursday (away teams come first):

Milwaukee Bucks 112-100 Chicago Bulls

Missing Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton in addition to losing Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first quarter due to right wrist sprain didn't keep the Bucks from securing their 12th consecutive win at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday.

Brook Lopez made 13 of his 18 FGs and made three triples to drop game-high 33 points while delivering four blocks. Though his Bulls counterpart Nikola Vucevic had a double-double of 22 points and 16 rebounds, he was outperformed by Lopez on both offense and defense.

Having suffered the sixth loss in a row, the Bulls are now two games behind the 10th Toronto Raptors and only half a game above the 12th Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference.

Washington Wizards 114-106 Minnesota Timberwolves

The Wizards overcame a 20+ point deficit to beat the Timberwolves at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday night. Bradley Beal had 17 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter alone. He was joined by Delon Wright and Kyle Kuzma to lead the team to come back on an impressive rally.

By contrast, Anthony Edwards, who got 31 points in the first three quarters, missed six of his seven FG attempts to score only three points for the Timberwolves in the final quarter. The team had to count on Kyle Anderson to make the biggest offensive contribution in this period as they went 6-for-25 from the floor.