LOS ANGELES - Elton Brand and the Clippers became the second team from Los Angeles to take the Phoenix Suns to the limit in these playoffs.

Unlike the Lakers, the Clippers will take some momentum into Game 7.

Brand had 30 points and 12 rebounds, Corey Maggette came off the bench to score 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and the Clippers beat the Suns 118106 Thursday night to even the Western Conference semifinal series at three games apiece.

The Suns seemed a step slower than usual at times, understandable since they've played every other day since April 26 - a total of 12 games in 22 days.

They'll get some time off now, since Game 7 isn't until Monday night in Phoenix, where the second-seeded Suns beat the sixth-seeded Clippers in two of the three previous playoff meetings, including a 125-118 doubleovertime triumph in game five.

The teams have alternated victories in the series, with the Suns winning Games 1, 3 and 5 and the Clippers winning Games 2, 4 and 6. The Lakers took a 3-1 lead

in the first round before the Suns came back, becoming the eighth NBA team to overcome such a deficit.

The home team has a 76-17 advantage in NBA playoff Game 7s, including Phoenix's 121-90 victory over the Lakers on May 6.

But the Clippers played the Suns tough in all three playoff games in Phoenix, winning one and coming close in the other two.

The Suns are trying to reach the Western Conference finals for the second straight season and the eighth time overall. They lost to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in five games last spring.