LA Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns – 9:00 pm ET (ESPN) – Suns lead 3-1
The Suns are just one win away from the NBA Finals. Game 4 could have gone either way, with both team’s top scorers having a hard time and neither side managing to shoot above 36 percent from the field. The Suns took a 50-36 lead into half time, and the Clippers couldn’t quite close the gap despite winning the third quarter 30-19. L.A. lost all of their momentum again in the final period in what was a brutal offensive quarter all around — they shot an ice-cold 3-of-19 over the final 12 minutes, a touch worse than the Suns at 4-of-19.
As the Suns’ star backcourt struggled (Chris Paul and Devin Booker combined for just 14-of-44 shooting), Deandre Ayton had one of the best performances of his career. He continued to play stellar defense, and tallied 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, 22 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 4 blocks in an impressive two-way effort. Ayton stepping up his play at both ends of the floor has been one of the stories of the postseason.
Kawhi Leonard is still out for Game 5 with a right knee sprain. And to make matters even tougher for the Clippers, Ivica Zubac is now out as well with an MCL sprain in his right knee.
With the Clippers cooling off, weary, and beaten up by injuries, the Suns have a good shot to close out this series tonight.
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