Clippers rout undersized Suns

PHOENIX – The Los Angeles Clippers rebounded with a capital “R” to win Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

The bigger Clippers swamped the Phoenix Suns on the boards 57-26 in a 121-97 victory Wednesday night that evened the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is in Los Angeles on Friday night.

Elton Brand, coming off a 40-point performance in Game 1, had 27 points and 10 rebounds as all five Clippers starters scored in double figures.

Cuttino Mobley, held to three points on 1-for-6 shooting in Game 1, scored 23, as did Sam Cassell, the Clippers’ 36-year-old point guard. Chris Kaman added 14 points and 16 rebounds and Quentin Ross scored 11 points.

Raja Bell, who opened the game 0 for 5, led the Suns with 20 points, while Leandro Barbosa added 19 and Tim Thomas 15. Steve Nash had 14 points and eight assists, then sat out the final 5:44.

But the story of this game was rebounding. The Clippers dominated the offensive boards 19-5, leading to a 31-6 advantage in second-chance points.

Los Angeles led by as many as 20 points in the first half and 21 in the third quarter.

•The Clippers had more offensive rebounds in the first half (15) than the Suns had defensive rebounds (14).

•The Suns are 0-4 in the playoffs when they fail to score 100.