Extremely important victory for the Clippers, against the Suns, at the Footprint Center (105-92). The triple-double of Russell Westbrook (16 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists) was valuable while “Brodie” replaced James Harden (inflammation in the right foot) in Tyronn Lue's starting five. Especially since Kawhi Leonard was also absent, to treat his right knee.
“Our will to win was superb”, welcomes Tyronn Lue. “We came out with a defensive, physical mindset, it clicked offensively. It's a hell of a victory against a very good team. »
Consolidate home advantage
Los Angeles thus obtained the assurance of qualifying directly for the playoffs with this victory against Phoenix. But Los Angeles certainly does not want to settle for that.
The Clippers want above all to consolidate their 4th place, which would allow them to have home field advantage during the first round of the playoffs. Besides, as Tyronn Lue says, his players have their work cut out for them.
“Yes, of course (there's still work to do), I mean our fans have been great all year long. And we went through some complicated times and some great times”, recognizes the Clippers coach. “ And our fans have been behind us 100% all year. And we know that when the playoffs begin, we want home field advantage, in front of our fans. We still have one more match to solidify this fourth place. »
The Clippers have the opportunity to validate this 4th place this evening as they already play again against the Suns. And there is no question of relaxing. “We have another match tomorrow, we focus on that,” confirms Paul George.
Afterwards ? Paul George and his gang could once again cross paths with the Mavericks, currently 5th, in the first round of the playoffs. This would be the third first-round clash against Luka Doncic and Dallas in recent years. They won 4-2 in 2019/20 and 4-3 in 2020/21.
