Clippers Host Suns in Game 4
The Los Angeles Clippers play host to the Phoenix Suns in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals at Staples Center on Saturday.
The Suns (2-1) suffered their first loss in over two weeks on Thursday, being beaten by the Clippers in a critical Game 3. That snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Suns, which is incredibly impressive in the midst of the postseason. What made that defeat so strange was the fact that Phoenix wasn't very competitive. They trailed by double-digits for most of the second half and lacked the juice that made them dangerous in the first two rounds. In any case, they're still up in this series, and they just got back Chris Paul from COVID protocols. All of that means they are just two wins away from reaching the NBA Finals, and that's hard to fathom for a team that has struggled mightily for over a decade.
The Clippers (1-2) have now started each of the first three series with an 0-2 mark and then have bounced back to win Game 3. If the first two series are any indicator, Los Angeles is right where they want to be. The Game 3 victory was one of their most impressive of the season, holding the Suns to 92 points on 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range. It was actually tight until the halftime buzzer, with LA outscoring Phoenix 60-44 in that dominant second half. Paul George shot just 9-of-26 from the field, but he collected 27 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. He's quieted many of the doubters who said he couldn't perform in the postseason with his recent play and he'll need to keep doing that with Kawhi Leonard continuing to miss games due to a knee injury.
Teams who have gone up 3-1 in NBA history have won 251 of their 264 total series. That's over 95 percent of the time while it's a relative coinflip in a 2-2 series score.
The Suns (2-1) suffered their first loss in over two weeks on Thursday, being beaten by the Clippers in a critical Game 3. That snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Suns, which is incredibly impressive in the midst of the postseason. What made that defeat so strange was the fact that Phoenix wasn't very competitive. They trailed by double-digits for most of the second half and lacked the juice that made them dangerous in the first two rounds. In any case, they're still up in this series, and they just got back Chris Paul from COVID protocols. All of that means they are just two wins away from reaching the NBA Finals, and that's hard to fathom for a team that has struggled mightily for over a decade.
The Clippers (1-2) have now started each of the first three series with an 0-2 mark and then have bounced back to win Game 3. If the first two series are any indicator, Los Angeles is right where they want to be. The Game 3 victory was one of their most impressive of the season, holding the Suns to 92 points on 39 percent from the field and 31 percent from three-point range. It was actually tight until the halftime buzzer, with LA outscoring Phoenix 60-44 in that dominant second half. Paul George shot just 9-of-26 from the field, but he collected 27 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. He's quieted many of the doubters who said he couldn't perform in the postseason with his recent play and he'll need to keep doing that with Kawhi Leonard continuing to miss games due to a knee injury.
Teams who have gone up 3-1 in NBA history have won 251 of their 264 total series. That's over 95 percent of the time while it's a relative coinflip in a 2-2 series score.