Paul George Misses Free Throw, Ayton Puts LA In 0-2 Series Hole! 6.22.21
It’s a Tuesday night of NBA playoff basketball and we have Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between the Clippers and Suns.
(4) LA Clippers vs (2) Phoenix Suns
LA Clippers (0-2)
The Clippers had this game and they blew it. They were done 7 in the 4th but they got the lead and Paul George hit a clutch shot to give them the lead back after Booker took it away. Then Beverley tapped the ball out of bounds and after review, the Clippers got the ball back. Paul George was fouled and with two free throws, the Clippers could go up 3. Paul George had been on fire and even though he was struggling in this game, he hit the clutch shot with 22 seconds left to take and lead and now he had a chance to ice the game with under 10 seconds left.
He missed both free throws. But luckily, the Clippers doubled Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges missed the corner 3. The ball went out of bounds and with 0.9 seconds left, the Suns had the ball and they were down one. All the Clippers had to do was get a stop, tied series 1-1. We all know what happens next. Jae Crowder throws a perfect pass up to Ayton who throws down the alley-oop, Suns win, 2-0 series lead. Good job Pandemic P.
The Clippers had this game. It was close throughout the entire game, defensive battle, gritty, but they just failed to execute and now they’re down 0-2.
In the first half, Paul George was 4/12 and Marcus Morris was 2/8. The only guy in double-figures was Reggie Jackson with 11. The Clippers got dominated in the paint, their 3’s weren’t falling and their superstar was struggling. But they were only down by one at the half.
They did a much better job on Booker, playing him tighter with Patrick Beverley and also getting him into foul trouble because he had 2 fouls in the first quarter. Booker was 3/10 in the first half and the only reason the Clippers were down is because Zubac couldn’t keep up with the athletic Ayton and Cameron Payne was getting right to the rim with ease. But to only be down one at the halftime break wasn’t the worst thing in the world.
In the 3rd the offense went stagnant and the Suns built a 9-point lead. Booker and Beverley had a head-to-head collision that left both bleeding, both heading back to the locker. Both were fortunately fine and returned soon thereafter. But the Clippers weathered that storm and they trailed by 4 entering the 4th.
The 4th quarter was crazy, to say the least. The Clippers fell behind by 7 but Luke Kennard and others got them back into the game. The Clippers were down 93-90 with 5:39 left and then nobody scored for about 3 minutes. Misses and misses and misses.
Then the teams traded baskets for 6 straight possessions, nobody giving up an inch. Paul George cut the lead to one with under a minute to go. Then Zubac made a great recovery for a block on Cameron Payne and it led to a PG layup, Clippers up by one with 30.9 seconds left.
Then Booker scored in 3 seconds, Suns up 1. Then Paul George scored in 5 seconds out of the timeout, Clippers back up 1. We know how the game goes from here. Out of bounds, PG misses two free throws, 0.9 seconds, Ayton dunk, game over.
Paul George had 26-6-6 but he struggled for most of the night. Morris was awful, his knee must be really bothering him. Zubac struggled to guard Ayton again. Reggie Jackson had 19. Kennard, Mann, and Rondo all played well off the bench. Kennard had 10 points in the 4th alone but it wasn’t enough.
The Clippers scored 30 points in the paint, the Suns had 60. Cameron Payne got right to the rim whenever he wanted and Deandre Ayton was a monster on the boards and at the rim. The Suns had 17 points off turnovers but the Clippers hit 7 more 3’s than the Suns and they had the better bench. But those points off turnovers and horrendous paint defense hurt them so much.
Now the Clippers are down 0-2, this time without Kawhi who is likely done for the series. Chris Paul might be coming back soon and you had the chance to win both road games. A little demoralizing. Well, the Clippers have been here before. Now they have to win Games 3 and 4 otherwise they stand no chance if they want to win this series.
Phoenix Suns (2-0)
Dominayton. Deandre Ayton saved the Suns in this game, not only with the game-winner but with his elite play on both ends. Booker was struggling, so Ayton and Cameron Payne were the Suns lifeblood for a lot of this game. The Suns looked dead in the water but they took advantage of two late missed free throws from PG and then Monty Williams had a beautiful play design out of bounds for the win, Suns lead the series 2-0. Not bad for not having CP-3.
This game was gritty and sluggish. The Suns dominated the paint and they got lots of points off turnovers. 24 points and 14 rebounds for Ayton. 29 points and 9 assists for Cameron Payne. 20 points for Booker who had to get stitches in his nose. He struggled, 7 turnovers and 5 fouls as well but the Suns were able to win with Booker struggling and no CP-3, which is just flat-out impressive.
The Suns executed better down the stretch and now they’re two games away from the Finals, trying to get there for the first time since 1993 when Charles Barkley took them there. They are playing very well, their bench featuring Cam Johnson and Dario Saric has been excellent, both of those have been great so far in this series. Chris Paul might be back very soon as the Suns hit the road. Lets see if the Suns can break their curse and maybe, maybe, head to the Finals.
NBA Draft Lottery
The NBA Draft Lottery is tonight and because I don’t want to make two posts, I’m just putting the lottery at the bottom of this post:
1. Detroit Pistons
2. Houston Rockets
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Toronto Raptors
5. Orlando Magic
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
7. Golden State Warriors (from Minnesota – Wiggins trade)
8. Orlando Magic (from Chicago – Vucevic Trade)
9. Sacramento Kings
10. New Orleans Pelicans
11. Charlotte Hornets
12. San Antonio Spurs
13. Indiana Pacers
14. Golden State Warriors
What Are Your Thoughts From The Game Tonight? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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