The LA Clippers are breathing down the necks of the Phoenix Suns, who will look to recover from their loss in Game 2. Will the Clippers dig deep enough in Game 4 and even the series up? Or, will the Suns kill LA’s momentum and head back to the Valley with a 3-1 series lead?
Catch this game live on Sunday, June 27, at 9 AM, Manila time.
HOME TEAM: LA Clippers (1-2, 1-0 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Patrick Beverley
- SG: Reggie Jackson
- SF: Paul George
- PF: Marcus Morris Sr.
- C: Ivica Zubac
Patrick Beverley compared Ty Lue to New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick after their Game 2 loss, saying he trusts Lue’s ability to make adjustments. Seems like that high praise was justified, as Lue had LA bouncing back in Game 3 with a dominant 106-92 win.
Instead of scaling back Ivica Zubac’s minutes in a possible attempt to go small-ball just like he did in the Utah Jazz series, Lue stuck to his big man and the Croatian responded. Zubac scored 15 points and pulled down 16 rebounds.
The Clippers had a +28 with Zubac on the floor in that game, so don’t expect Lue to reconfigure the center’s minutes. Zubac’s aggressiveness could cause the Suns more problems. He got rewarded for that in Game 3 with 10 trips to the foul line, where he made nine free throws.
Speaking of rebounding, the Clippers also got 15 of those in Game 3 from Paul George, who finished with 27 points and eight assists as well. Now that the Clippers have finally established their footing in the series, the good things could keep on coming for them in Game 4 at home.
The Clippers are 5-0 ATS in their last five games as the home team.
ROAD TEAM: Phoenix Suns (2-0, 0-0 on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Chris Paul
- SG: Devin Booker
- SF: Mikal Bridges
- PF: Jae Crowder
- C: Deandre Ayton
Chris Paul and Devin Booker struggled mightily in Game 3, which basically doomed Phoenix’s chances of keeping the spirit of ‘Suns in 4’ alive in the Western Conference finals.
Paul returned to action after missing the first two games of the series because of a stint in the league’s health and safety protocols and went just 5 of 19 from the field for 15 points. He did have 12 assists though, so it’s good to know for the Suns that the Point God wasn’t rusty enough to keep him from being a prolific table-setter.
Booker, on the other hand, was only 5 of 21 (15 points) with four turnovers. Booker’s mask likely affected his performance, but he should have gotten more used to it by the time Game 4 rolls around.
Deandre Ayton, meanwhile, remains a huge threat for the Clippers after scoring 18 points (9/13 FG) and getting nine rebounds to go with a pair of blocks in Game 3. Once CP3 and Booker regain their hooting touch, things will open up more for Ayton in the middle.
The Suns are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Clippers are coming off a morale-boosting win at home and will play at Staples Center again Sunday. With the Clippers having the momentum and homecourt advantage, you just got to roll with the Clippers as an underdog. Take the Clippers to cover (+1.5)
Over/Under: The line for the totals is now down to 219. Take the Under and run.
