Atmosphere and energy got turned up a notch for the first round playoff matchup between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers at the Footprint Center Sunday in downtown Phoenix.
The contest …
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Atmosphere and energy got turned up a notch for the first round playoff matchup between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers at the Footprint Center Sunday in downtown Phoenix.
The contest could prove to be a valuable learning experience for Saben Lee — the team’s 23-year-old point guard — for years to come.
Lee is currently a two-way player who isn’t eligible to play in this year’s playoffs. He backs up Cam Payne and Chris Paul at the point guard spot.
“This is my first playoff taste, for sure,” Lee said. “It’s definitely ramped up and a lot more intense. But it’s exciting.”
On Sunday, the Suns fell to the Clippers 115-110 in front of a sellout crowd for the first contest of a seven-game series.
Suns forward Kevin Durant finished with 27 points and 11 assists while Paul had seven points and 10 assists to go with 11 rebounds.
Lee, a 2017 Tempe Corona del Sol High School graduate, said he could learn a thing or two from All-NBA stars like Durant, Paul and Devin Booker.
“I’m grateful to be able to play behind them — you know, learn a lot from the best players that play this game,” Lee said. “Especially (to learn about them) on the basketball IQ side — to be able to see how (certain players) operate and go about (their) business.”
So far, Suns head coach Monty Williams said he likes what he has seen out of Lee in a small sample size.
Williams gave Lee high praise going into the regular season game against the Clippers on April 9.
The point guard finished with 16 points and six assists in 32 minutes against the likes of Russell Westbrook.
"He’s been huge for us, always ready,” Williams said in the pre-game press conference. “Without that segment we had with him earlier this year, we may not be in this position. When you think about what Torrey (Craig) did, what Saben did, what Ish (Wainright) has been able to do and you think about their mindset going into the summer, you wouldn’t have guessed those three guys, and Jock (Landale), given us a chance to be in this spot with home court locked up and all the things that have happened. And so to say his credit, (Lee is) just a stay-ready guy, but he’s also a guy that can play and we’re hopeful today, he can continue to improve because he is going to get a lot of burn.”
Lee — a south Phoenix native — said he went to Suns games growing up watching players such as Steve Nash and Eric Bledsoe.
Now, he believes he can help the team he grew up watching on television.
“I’d say (I’m) able to get into the paint and create for others,” Lee said. “My defensive intensity and being able to push the pace (helps the team).”
Over 25 regular season games this season, Lee averaged six points per game and almost three assists.
The point guard tries to encourage his teammates to stay aggressive during the game and help them get through tough stretches.
“Just give my two cents here and there trying to help the guys any way I can.”
The Suns take on the Clippers Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Phoenix.
Brent Ruffner Lead News Reporter | Daily Independent @AzNewsmedia
Journalism has fascinated Brent Ruffner since junior high school.
Since 2001, his stories have been published in newspapers from the Albuquerque to the Arizona and he has always had a knack for making sure his facts are right and his words are to the point.
Growing up, Brent watched as sports reporters covered his beloved Phoenix Suns, a team he followed since Charles Barkley first arrived in Phoenix via trade in 1992. Sports reporting was a dream back then.
But after gaining some writing experience, Brent found a love for news instead of covering different types of sports. In 2008, he moved to New Mexico and covered crime, schools and city beats all while holding elected officials accountable.
He covered stories that ranged from a DEA drug bust gone bad to an award-winning story on school lunches.
In Arizona, Brent was a freelance writer who covered everything from the importance of citrus in the state to Esteban owning a store in downtown Prescott.
Brent is a 2007 graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
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