NBA Playoffs: The Clippers stay alive by topping the Suns on their home court in Game 5
Phoenix, Arizona - The Los Angeles Clippers avoided elimination against the Phoenix Suns by winning Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals and sending the series back to California.
The Clippers beat the Suns 116-102 on Monday night to keep their season alive. More importantly, they bought themselves another chance to mount a potential series comeback. The Clippers now trail 3-2 as they head back to Los Angeles for another must-win game on Wednesday night.
Los Angeles’ game plan was simple: keep the Suns in check and let Paul George (31) take the helm to lead them to victory. George did just that, scoring a game-high 41 points, along with 13 rebounds and 6 assists. When the Clippers needed him to step up for their injured star Kawhi Leonard, who’s still nursing a bum knee, he delivered by scoring his highest point total so far this postseason.
The rest of the team followed suit, with Reggie Jackson scoring 23 while Marcus Morris Sr. pitched in with 22 points. The Clippers banded together in this one with their backs against the wall, staying in control through much of the game. Whenever the Suns seemed to threaten an LA lead, the Clippers successfully held them off, apart from 20 seconds in the third quarter when the difference was down to a single point.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 31 points, while Chris Paul added 22. Apart from some decent overall shooting by the Suns, they couldn’t keep up with the Clippers down low underneath the basket. LA took advantage of a clear physical presence in that area to enjoy a 58-32 advantage in the paint.
The Suns also said goodbye to their five-game home playoff winning streak.
The Clippers are definitely now in familiar territory with their backs against the wall yet again
By now, Los Angeles is no stranger to playing through scenarios like these in the playoffs. They have yet to lose a Game 6 in their previous rounds and, having just recently dismantled the top-seeded Jazz in the second round, this next battle might actually the Clippers' to lose if they still have any playoff magic left to spare.
The matchup is back in Los Angeles, on Wednesday night.
Cover photo: IMAGO / UPI Photo