Led by a phenomenal Devin Booker, the Phoenix Suns won Game 2 of the playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers 123-109, leveling the first-round series in the Western Conference. One part of the game in particular worked much better this time than in game 1.
The Phoenix Suns successfully redeemed their Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers and head to Southern California on an even streak. Booker was the top scorer with 38 points (14/22), Kevin Durant contributed 25 points (10/19) to the win. Chris Paul (16, 8 assists) brought the game home in crunch time. For the visitors, top scorers were Kawhi Leonard (31, 11/20) and Russell Westbrook (28, 9/16).
As in Game 1, the Clippers were once again the aggressor early in the game, primarily playing toxic defense, forcing turnovers and scoring points afterwards. They worked out a 13-point lead for a while.
Specifically, the Clippers presented themselves as variable early on in terms of their assignments and put both Russell Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard against Kevin Durant, but Kawhi primarily played against DeAndre Ayton. Basically, the home side found it difficult to find open throws.
By the end of the half, however, the Suns were swimming more and more free and put up a strong finish thanks to difficult points from Durant and a three-pointer for a 59-59 equalizer from Devin Booker with 0.8 seconds remaining.
NBA Playoffs: Suns turn up the heat after the break
After the break, the Suns started like firefighters and took the lead for the first time since the early stages after a 6-0 run. The driving force for Phoenix was now more and more Booker, who finally woke up the audience with a steal and subsequent dunk after a fast break against Ivica Zubac.
Booker turned it up and ultimately scored 18 points in the third quarter alone. He also sank three threes, which he had completely failed in game 1.
In the fourth quarter, the Suns established their biggest lead of the game by 11 points back-to-back with another 6-0 run at the start after two jumpers by Chris Paul. And they didn’t give them up either.
The most important statistics
Phoenix Suns (W3) vs. Phoenix Suns (W3) Los Angeles Clippers (W6) 123:109 (BOXSCORE), Series: 1-1
A big problem for the Suns in Game 1 was poor throwing from downtown. Only 6 of the 19 attempts at three were successful. This time, however, the threes fell much more efficiently and were an important reason for the success. This time the Suns were 10-22 (Clippers: 11-30).
Keyword three: Devin Booker had not sunk a single attempt in three playoff games in a row. This time it looked better 4-6 – three of them in the third quarter when he almost alone put his team on the road to victory.
The Suns’ full starting 5 scored in double digits, while only three of the five starters at the Clippers managed to do so.
The star of the game: Devin Booker (Suns)
Not only was Devin Booker the game’s top scorer, he was also the one who put the Suns back in the game with Durant before the break – the three-pointer just before the buzzer sparked the initial spark, and his 18 points in the third quarter then catalyzed the turnaround .
The flop of the match: Nicolas Batum (Clippers)
Nicolas Batum is by no means a reliable scorer. But in a game of creating danger from the outside, the Frenchman was a total failure. He took four threes and missed every single one. In almost 20 minutes of play, he was a starter without points – he also only had a rebound and an assist on three fouls (-17 +/-).
NBA Playoffs: Die Stats-Leader bei Suns vs. Clippers
2023-04-19 04:36:00
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