Paul George scored a game-high 27 points, and the fourth-seeded, Los Angeles Clippers avoided a 3-0 defeat in their Western Conference Finals by beating Phoenix Suns 106-92 in Los Angeles last night.
Reggie Jackson chipped in with 23 points for Los Angeles, while Ivica Zubac outplayed Deandre Ayton had with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
Devin Booker shot just 5-for-21 en route to 15 points. His backcourt mate, Chris Paul, making his series debut after being released from COVID-19 protocol, struggled to 15 of his own on 5-for-19 shooting. They combined to sink just 3 of 14 on three-point attempts.
Paul, who managed a game-high 12 assists in 39 minutes, hadn’t played since Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals against the Denver Nuggets on 13th June.
The Los Angeles Clippers, who already have become the first team in NBA history to erase two 2-0 deficits in the same postseason, trailed 46-48 at halftime before dominating the second half.
Down 53-50 in the second minute of the third period, Los Angeles Clippers got three consecutive hoops from Terance Mann to take a lead they never relinquished en route to finishing the quarter on a 30-16 run.
Paul George’s buzzer-beating, half-court shot capped the surge that produced an 80-69 lead, and the Suns got no closer than six.
Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday night, again at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
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