Phoenix, AZ – Jared Dudley scored a team-high 18 points as the Phoenix Suns kept their playoff hopes alive with a 93-90 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at US Airways Center.
Channing Frye added 16 points, Steve Nash finished with 13 and Marcin Gortat contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Suns, who moved into a tie with idle Utah for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with three games to play.
Houston sits a game behind both Phoenix and Utah after the Rockets fell to New Orleans earlier Thursday.
Chris Paul had 19 points and 10 assists, while Blake Griffin netted 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for Los Angeles, which fell to a game behind the Lakers for the top spot in the Pacific Division and the third seed in the West.
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