Los Angeles Clippers (55-31) vs. Phoenix Suns (60-23)
June 22, 2021 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Phoenix Suns -6; Over/Under: +224
(Get latest betting odds)
The Los Angeles Clippers will be hoping to square up the series against the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 at the PHX Arena on Tuesday night.
The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves in another battle and they will be looking to bounce back in this series after falling to the Suns by 120-114 in Game 1 on Sunday. Paul George drained seven 3-pointers to lead the team with 34 points and five assists on 10 of 26 shooting, Reggie Jackson added 24 points on 10 of 19 shooting while DeMarcus Cousins chipped in with 11 points off the bench, but no other player finished in double figures in scoring. As a team, the Clippers shot 45 percent from the field and a healthy 20 of 47 from the 3-point line as they poured in 39 points in the third quarter to lead by as many as six points, before going ice-cold in the fourth quarter where they managed just 21 points. Terance Mann was sensational for the Clippers in their closeout win over the Jazz, but he scored just nine points while Marcus Morris scored just six points on three of 11 shooting.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns were faced with their first real test of the playoffs after facing two shorthanded teams in the first two rounds and they came out with flying colours to outlast the Clippers despite playing without Chris Paul. The Suns needed Devin Booker to step up and he did just that as he racked up his first triple-double of his career, finishing with 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists. DeAndre Ayton added 20 points with nine rebounds on 10 of 14 shooting while Mikal Bridges chipped in with 14 points. Asa team, the Suns shot a sizzling 55 percent from the field and 13 of 32 from the 3-pointline as they led for most of the game after a hot start, before winning behind their defense as they held the Clippers to just 21 points in the fourth quarter.
Looking at the betting trends, the Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games a road underdog, 4-1 ATS in their last five games against a team above .600 and 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. The Suns are 25-10 ATS in their last 35 home games, 42-14-1 ATS in their last 57 games against a team with a winning record and 8-0 ATS in their last eight games overall.
Head to head, the over is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings in Phoenix and the Clippers are 14-6 ATS in the last 20 meetings overall.
The Clippers will be kicking themselves as they will feel they missed out on a great chance to steal home-court advantage against a Suns team missing a key player in Chris Paul, but they’ll take confidence from the fact that they were right in the contest despite the team shooting just 45 percent from the field. The Suns had the advantage of extra days off and it certainly showed as they looked like the fresher team out there, especially Booker who is making the most of his first playoff appearance. You can make the argument that the Clippers almost pulled off the upset despite poor shooting nights from Morris and George, but the Suns have shown such resiliency since the bubble from last season and I’m not stepping in front of them while they’re this hot.
