Los Angeles Clippers They shortened the distance this Thursday in the final of the Western Conference (1-2) after beating some Phoenix Suns that they recovered Chris Paul but they did not have their luckiest night (106-92).
Paul George He touched the triple-double (27 points with 9 of 26 in shots, 15 rebounds and 8 assists) and was in charge, once again, of replacing the injured Kawhi Leonard.
But George was by no means alone, as he had the fantastic backing of Reggie Jackson (23 points), Ivica Zubac (15 points and 16 rebounds), Terance Mann (12 points and 5 rebounds) and a Patrick Beverley capital in defense.
Showcasing the collective effort that has made them triumph so far in the playoffs, the Clippers knew how to digest the cruel defeat in the second game of the series, in which a kill in the last second of Deandre Ayton sank Los Angeles hopes.
From the Suns, the best news was the return of Chris Paul after having lost the first two games of the West final due to the coronavirus protocol. The point guard added 15 points (5 of 19 shooting) and 12 assists.
It was also not very fine in the toe Devin Booker (15 points with 5 of 21 in shots), who, in addition, played with a protective mask after the hard blow to the nose that he took in the previous meeting.
The pvot Deandre Ayton he was the visitors’ leading scorer with 18 points and 9 rebounds in a game in which neither team excelled in attack (31% from 3s for the Suns and 35% for the Clippers).
NIGHT OF STREAKS
Chris Paul busc sensations from the initial jump and on the first play he gave an assist for Deandre Ayton’s basket.
In the Clippers, the absence in the starting five of Marcus Morris, a mainstay of the Californian set.
That hole was filled by Reggie Jackson, very active and peel at the beginning of the duel (18-15 in the absence of 6.26).
On the other side, Ayton ruled the painting at will with 10 points but Booker, clearly uncomfortable with the mask, was denied facing the hoop (no points after a 0 of 6 shooting in the first quarter).
In the end, the Clippers bench, with the valuable interventions of Luke Kennard o Nico Batum, He drove the locals against a thick Suns (29-21).
The night was going to be streaks and the second set was clearly dominated by the visitors.
A pat of Mikal Bridges and a triple of Devin Booker they forced Tyronn Read to stop the match before it got out of hand (29-26 with 10.15 to be played).
But Rondo Region, life insurance for so many evenings, I jumped onto the court today with a broken compass.
The Clippers got stuck in a swamp of errors, loose balls, unfortunate attacks and concentration problems that the Suns took advantage of, now with clear ideas (33-35 with 5.47 to go).
Faced with the general short-circuit, the Angelenos resorted to a Ivica Zubac very warrior (11 points and 12 rebounds at halftime) and a great dunk from George, which ended a rather sad second quarter for the Clippers (46-48).
Neither team went to the locker room very happy, especially with their success from the triple: the Suns achieved 28% and the Clippers stayed at a mere 18%.
MANN ASK FOR A STEP
Booker and Bridges signed two juggler baskets on the restart, but it was Terence Mann the one who increased the revolutions of the Clippers and changed the sign of the game.
Recalling his monumental display in the match that sent the Utah Jazz home, Mann, undoubtedly one of the great revelations of these playoffs, infected both his team and the fans of a Staples Center in Los Angeles with his fury ( USA) given over to rage and sacrifice of their own (56-53 with 8.50 on the clock).
The obfuscated on this occasion were the Suns, who saw how the Clippers culminated their comeback, they witnessed the local hurricane unanswered in the third quarter (34-21) and also suffered Booker’s fourth foul.
All were positive signs for the Clippers. Zubac became a giant in the area, George and Jackson riddled the basket, and his intense defense, which did not give a ball for lost, destroyed a completely damaged offensive circulation of the Suns (71-60 with 2.37 left).
Those of Phoenix tried to reduce the difference before the final quarter, but George, with a triplazo from midfield and on the horn, kept them at bay (80-69).
The positive inertia of the Clippers continued in the last quarter. Kennard scored a great additional 3-pointer.Morris hit another shot of three and Mann put a huge plug on Booker.
The Clippers had a 20-point lead but a 0-7 run put the Suns back in the game with Paul in command of operations and Ayton as executor (89-78 with 8.55 to go).
Nerves began to surface among the Clippers when they saw the Suns closing in just six points. However, a Jackson who seemed not to weigh the pressure returned the smile to his team with a triple and a suicidal penetration (94-83 with 6.02 left) that truncated the Suns’ threat of comeback.
The fourth match will be played on Saturday also in Los Angeles.
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