The Phoenix Suns were favored heading into Los Angeles to take on the Clippers in Game 3 of their first round NBA Playoff series Thursday evening.
Phoenix was set to take on a Clippers team that lost two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to a sprained knee in the previous game. With Paul George still sidelined to injury himself, it seemed as if the Suns were destined to dominate and retake homecourt and a 2-1 series lead.
Things didn’t necessarily trend in that direction throughout the game with the Clippers keeping this one close. It was tied at 27 after the first quarter with the Suns expanding the lead to nine after three quarters.
As Devin Booker was keeping his Phoenix Suns going on offense, Los Angeles relied on Norman Powell (career playoff high 42 points) and Russell Westbrook (30 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists) to maintain pace.
Los Angeles would pull this one to within 119-116 on two Westbrook free throws with 1:44 remaining before Torrey Craig nailed a dagger three-pointer off an assist from Kevin Durant. That was pretty much all she wrote as the Phoenix Suns came away with a 129-124 win and a 2-1 series lead.
Devin Booker shines, Kevin Durant takes back seat in Phoenix Suns win
“Playing with guys like Steph and Klay and Russ and Kyrie and James, all of that stuff has prepared me to play with guys that can do multiple things out on the floor. But the common denominator is all of those guys are efficient players,” Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant said ahead of Game 3.
This quote played well in Game 3.
KD ended up taking just 15 shots, hitting on eight of them. He scored 28 points by virtue of nailing all 11 of his free throws. Instead, it was all about Booker making his mark as Phoenix took a 2-1 series lead against an undermanned Clippers team.
The star guard connected on 18-of-29 shots to drop a game-high 45 points. As Durant pointed to, there was a certain level of efficiency to Booker’s performance.
He averaged 1.55 points per shot in Game 3 despite hitting on just three from beyond the arc. That’s an increase of 1.37 points per shot during the regular season and 1.31 throughout Booker’s career. In what ended up being a mere five-point win, this was a major difference-maker.
To be fair, Durant played a role in Booker getting open looks and finding driving lanes. In addition to taking on double teams, he put up a quarter of the Suns’ assists throughout the game. It’s something KD also talked about ahead of Thursday night’s matchup.
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“I’m much more than a scorer. So I think I’ve always evolved. If I’m handling the ball and don’t score in that possession, it still feels like I created a lot of stuff for my teammates,” Durant said. “I can definitely take my shots like I normally do. But with the attention I get on the defensive side of the ball, I have to figure what my looks are and how I approach each possession,” KD said on Wednesday.
As for the win itself, taking out a Clippers team without two future Hall of Famers was expected. It got a bit tricky down the stretch with Durant’s former teammate helping pace things for Los Angeles.
However, Devin Booker’s scoring ways coupled with Durant’s playoff experience led to a victory in what was a must-win Game 3 for the Phoenix Suns.
Game 4 will be back in Los Angeles Saturday afternoon at 3:30 PM ET with the Suns looking to take a 3-1 series lead and Leonard’s status up in the air.