The Western Conference has dawned a new era, and even without Paul George, the Los Angeles Clippers have grabbed an early lead in the division’s race for a new king.
The Phoenix Suns, meanwhile, are once again reminding everyone that they can’t have nice things. More on that later.
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth”
The Clippers, in their two previous victories, made sure that the league remembers that famous quote from Hall-Of-Fame boxer Mike Tyson.
They powered through the LA Lakers in the opener for a 112-102 win, courtesy of a defense that held LeBron James and Anthony Davis to just two points in the fourth quarter a combined 15-for-40 shooting. In Friday’s follow-up, they bullied the five-time defending Western Conference champs Golden State Warriors with a 141-122 rout – no one’s gonna give the depleted Dubs any sympathy. Sorry.
Smooth offense and defense
Kawhi Leonard (25.5 PPG) and Lou Williams (21.5 PPG) will continue anchoring the offense – even though the former is also a catalyst on defense. Both are scoring over 21 per game, dishing over seven assists per game, and shooting over 52%.
Williams posted 19.5 PPG and 5 APG on 53.1%-shooting (his highest against any team that season) in last year’s season-series with the Suns.
Defensively, the talent is everywhere, which – excluding Kawhi – is probably headlined by the trash-talking Patrick Beverley. The pesky guard is a two-time member of the All-Defensive Team and will be fresh-off helping limit Stephen Curry and D’Angelo Russell to collectively going 14-for-36 from the field.
Beverley is constantly attempting to get under every opponent’s skin and it will be interesting to see him match-up with the young players of the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns. Welp.
The Phoenix Suns had a good morale booster in their season-opener, as they trashed the Sacramento Kings, 124-95. The main core looked solid – Devin Booker and Kelly Oubre Jr. both scored 20-plus, DeAndre Ayton and Ricky Rubio each had a double-double, and the team shot a solid 50% – but then, news broke that Ayton will be suspended 25 games for a substance violation. The vibe in the air got terrible again.
Saturday against the Denver Nuggets, the Suns lost a hard-fought game in overtime, 108-107. Booker coming alive after a poor start and Oubre having another 20-plus point night wasn’t enough as they couldn’t defend Nikola Jokic, who had a triple-double, and Jamal Murray, who scored seven of his 27 points in OT.
The Suns are expected to appeal Ayton suspension, but all signs point to another lottery-bound season for the Suns.
PREDICTION:
The Clippers continue their warpath and easily dispatch the Suns in yet another emphatic victory.
