Without Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, Tyronn Lue needs points in his five major and Nicolas Batum, who only scored 3 in the first three games of the series, therefore leaves his place to Marcus Morris.
That doesn’t stop the Suns from getting the best start with plenty of offensive rebounds. Phoenix looks to lay down the Clippers defense to find Deandre Ayton under the circle and quickly points to +6 (16-9). With his energy, however, Russell Westbrook revived his team, well relayed by Terance Mann off the bench.
The Clippers point to +11 (34-23) for the biggest gap of the game in their favor, thanks to the losses of the ball from Phoenix and too individual sequences from the stars of Arizona.
The Suns, however, found the rhythm and finished the first half with a bang. We then say that Kevin Durant and his family have finally taken the measure of their opponent, but the third quarter begins with a 9-0 for the Clippers, which forces Monty Williams to quickly take a time-out.
It is Chris Paul who restores order, while Devin Booker, awkward in the first half, finds colors. With the help of Kevin Durant, he allows Phoenix to take a short break (83-78) after three quarters.
But the Clippers continue to hang on, like Russell Westbrook who gives everything to avoid the Suns break. The problem is that the Suns always seem to find a solution, with Torrey Craig but especially Chris Paul, who chained the baskets in this third quarter, including an improbable prayer from the bottom line.
The leader can smile, the Clippers will not recover, they who chain the airballs and bow again (112-100). Now trailing 3-1, and with no visibility as to the returns of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Los Angeles’ season seems headed for another premature exit…
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The talent of the Suns has spoken. When the ball moves, this Phoenix team looks like a real nightmare for opponents. The problem is, that’s not always the case, and the Suns are crumbly as soon as the game becomes static. Except that with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul, Monty Williams has three magicians, capable of creating something from nothing. Or really not much.
– Free throws too. Without Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers have a hard time getting free throws. Thanks to the Booker/Durant duo, the Suns are thus much more past the repair line than their evening opponents: 21/27 for Phoenix against 8/10 for Los Angeles…
– The decisive baskets of Chris Paul. Apart from the end of Game 2, Chris Paul had been generally awkward in the first three games of the series. The first three quarters were not necessarily encouraging but the leader managed to reverse the trend, to score 9 ultra decisive points in the last round.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ The Booker/Durant duo. They may lack automatisms, their understanding not always being very fluid, their intrinsic talent is such that the two men can make the difference in turn.
✅Russell Westbrook. It had been five years since Russell Westbrook had played two games with more than 30 points in the playoffs. He bludgeoned the Suns defense all night, ending on the kneecaps.
✅ Terance Mann. His energy, especially defensively, did the Clippers a lot of good, especially in the first half when it was linked to the game’s best streak for Los Angeles.
⛔Marcus Morris. Reintegrated into the five major Los Angeles to bring points, Markieff’s brother had understood his mission. The problem is that he ends up with 9 points at 3/13 shooting…
THE FOLLOWING
Leading 3-1, the Suns can close the deal at home on Tuesday night (4:00 a.m.)
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
