Los Angeles Clippers (56-33) vs. Phoenix Suns (62-24)
June 28, 2021 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Phoenix Suns -5.5; Over/Under: +218
(Get latest betting odds)
The Los Angeles Clippers will be hoping to stave off elimination against the Phoenix Suns in Game 5 at the PHX Arena on Monday night.
The Los Angeles Clippers are now just one loss away from elimination after falling painfully short to the Suns in an 84-80 loss in Game 4 on Saturday. Paul George led the team in scoring with 23 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, Reggie Jackson added 20 points while Ivica Zubac chipped in with 13 points and 14 rebounds. As a team, the Clippers shot a miserly 32 percent from the field and five of 31 from the 3-point line as they scored just 36 points in the first half, before managing just 14 points in the fourth quarter in a game that could’ve easily gone either way as neither team could mount any sort of a run. Jackson shot just eight of 24 from the field, Marcus Morris shot just two of eight from the field to finish with four points while George shot just five of 20 from the field and one of nine from the 3-point line.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns will be looking to finish off the Clippers after taking a commanding 3-1 series lead with their win on Saturday. Devin Booker led the team in scoring with 25 points on eight of 22 shooting, DeAndre Ayton added 19 points with 22 rebounds and four blocks while Chris Paul bounced back from his last performance to finish with 18 points and seven assists. As a team, the Suns shot just 36 percent from the field and four of 20 from the 3-point line, but their defense kept them in control for most of the game until they were able to escape on free throws after intentionally fouling down the stretch. Cameron Payne had a quiet night of just five points on two of eight shooting while Jae Crowder scored just three points on one of eight shooting.
Looking at the betting trends, the Clippers are 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a road underdog, 6-2 ATS in their last eight games against a team with a winning record and 6-2 ATS in their last eight games overall. The Suns are 43-16-1 ATS in their last 60 games against a team with a winning record and 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
Head to head, the over is 10-4 in the last `14 meetings in Phoenix and the Clippers are 16-7 ATS in the last 23 meetings overall.
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but the Suns were able to take care of business in Game 4 and they are now coming back home with a chance to close out the series in front of a raucous crowd. The Clippers have shown twice already in these playoffs that they can rally back and win the series, but I just don’t see that happening unless Kawhi Leonard can make a surprise return. When the game tightened on Saturday night, we saw the Clippers resort to isolation plays while the Suns continued to run their offense and I think that’s the major difference in this matchup. We could be in for another low-scoring game, but I think the Suns come out on top once again and advance to the NBA Finals.
