LA Clippers season ends at the hands of red-hot Suns
As injuries hurt the LA Clippers, the Phoenix Suns’ offensive firepower was beyond what the team could handle.
Ailing the injuries of superstar duo Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the LA Clippers saw their once-promising season turn to dust after the Phoenix Suns won, 136-130.
Devin Booker, who had been the biggest thorn on the side of the Clippers, was scorching hot once again. He dropped 25 of his 47 points in the third quarter to turn LA’s nine-point lead at halftime to a commanding 17-point edge for Phoenix.
Booker’s offense was so great that the LA Clippers had no answer for him on the defensive end. “We couldn’t stop him. We had no answer for him. We tried to blitz him, we couldn’t blitz him.” said head coach Tyronn Lue.
Furthermore, Booker shot 19-of-27 from the field, 4-of-7 from three, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line to tally a highly efficient 79.3 true shooting percentage.
Devin Booker was not alone in game five against the LA Clippers.
That superb offensive force was coupled with Kevin Durant’s casual output of 31 points, on 4-of-6 shooting, while Deandre Ayton Added 21 points, and 11 rebounds. In addition, Chris Paul made his presence known with 15 points and seven assists.
On the Clippers’ side, Normal Powell paced the team with 27 points and Mason Plumlee chipped in 20 off the bench but it all went to naught.
The third-quarter swing proved to be the turning point of the matchup before the Clippers tried to rally back in the fourth quarter, knocking down four consecutive threes to come within striking distance.
Conversely, Durant iced the game with a layup followed by two free throws. This ultimately sent Phoenix to the second round as the Clippers ran out of time.
Russell Westbrook, who was instrumental in the series, had a cold outing, shooting an atrocious 3-of-19 from the field and recording 14 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
After signing with the team after the All-Star break, Westbrook will enter unrestricted free agency in the summer.
Next. 8 players the Clips' gave up on too soon. dark
The Suns will move on to the Western conference semifinals versus the number one seed Denver Nuggets. The Clippers, meanwhile, will enter another offseason with more questions than answers.