Under the threat of elimination, the Los Angeles Clippers reacted nicely on Monday night, winning Game 5 with authority on the floor of the Phoenix Suns (116-102). Phoenix is down just three wins to two heading into Game 6, which takes place Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
The climate of Arizona appeared however very hostile for the men of LA. Already deprived of their star Kawhi Leonard (knee) for the seventh game in a row, they also had to do without their Croatian pivot Ivica Zubac, also hit in the knee.
But Paul George showed himself to be admirable. He found his shot, lost in previous matches: 41 points, his record in the play-offs, with 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. And above all without spoiling much, at 15/20 in shooting including 3/6 behind the arc and 8/8 in throws.
As Reggie Jackson (23 pts) and Marcus Morris (22 pts) had also set the sights after a game 4 little in relation to current offensive standards (84-80 for Phoenix), the Suns struggled to keep up. . Nicolas Batum, very used off the bench (30 minutes of play), mainly had a defensive impact (2 pts, 8 rebounds).
The Chorus of Resilience
The Clippers perfectly played the air of resilience, the refrain of their play-offs. They had already been led two wins to zero against Dallas then against Utah before winning (4-3 then 4-2), unheard of in NBA history in the first two rounds of the play-offs.
Phoenix still has two chances to conclude, including a possible Game 7 at home. But the Arizona team will have to wait before validating its first final since 1993, the Charles Barkley era. Devin Booker scored 31 points and Chris Paul 22, but still with shooting waste (9/22 and 8/19, respectively). “CP3”, in search of the first final of his glorious career at 36, has not managed a single winning basket in six attempts. Deandre Ayton, he had to settle for 10 points (5/9 to shoot) with his 11 rebounds.
Monty Williams, their coach, did not particularly appreciate their disastrous start to the match: his team was trailing 20-5 after 5 minutes of play. “It’s simply unacceptable, the way we started this game, thundered the technician. It’s pretty obvious that you can’t afford to play just by showing up. »
The Suns came back into the game in the third to take a 62-61 lead, but the Clippers lined up a series of three-point shots to widen the gap again. Same scenario when Phoenix picked up four lengths (98-94) seven minutes from the end of the game. We will have to tear ourselves away to bury this LA team which definitely does not want to give up.
“We weren’t going to lower our heads, we weren’t going to throw in the towel
LA Clippers winger Paul George
“If they wanted to finish this series, they were going to have to work for, that’s our mentality when entering the field for this game, launched Paul George. We weren’t going to lower our heads, we weren’t going to throw in the towel. That’s how they’re going to have to beat us. »