Phoenix Suns (62-25) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (57-33)
June 30, 2021 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Los Angeles Clippers -1; Over/Under: +216
(Get latest betting odds)
The Los Angeles Clippers will be looking to square up the series against the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 at the Staples Center on Wednesday night.
The Phoenix Suns will be going back to the drawing board after missing out on a chance to close out the series in a 116-102 loss in Game 5 on Monday. Devin Booker led the team in scoring with 31 points on nine of 22 shooting, Chris Paul added 22 points with eight assists while Cameron Johnson heated up late to chip in with 14 points off the bench. As a team, the Suns shot just 45 percent from the field and nine of 26 from the 3-point line which was enough to hang with the Clippers until the third quarter where Paul George really started to heat up. The Suns committed a total of 14 turnovers and they just couldn’t get DeAndre Ayton involved enough as he finished with just 10 points and 11 rebounds in 37 minutes of action. 3-point shooting was also an issue as Chris Paul shot zero of six from the perimeter while Jae Crowder shot zero of four which just put too much pressure on Booker who was started to get going late.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers needed to battle to keep their season alive and they did just that as they’re now behind just 3-2 in the series following their impressive win on Monday. Paul George was cooking all game as he poured in 41 points with 13 rebounds and six assists while shooting 15 of 20 from the field, Reggie Jackson added 23 points while Marcus Morris chipped in with 22 points on nine of 16 shooting. As a team, the Clippers shot a healthy 54 percent from the field and 10 of 30 from the 3-point line as they exploded for 36 points in the first quarter to take the early double-digit lead, before running away with it late in the third quarter. Defensively, the Clippers did a great job to keep the Suns in check for the entire game and they got a real boost on offense from DeMarcus Cousins who chipped in with 15 points and three assists in just 11 minutes off the bench.
Looking at the betting trends, the Suns are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games, 24-8-1 ATS in their last 33 games against a team above .600 and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall. The Clippers are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games, 7-2 ATS in their last nine games against a team above .600 and 3-9-1 ATS in their last 13 games following a win of more than 10 points.
Head to head, the under is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings in Los Angeles, the Suns are 2-10 ATS in the last 12 meetings in Los Angeles and the Suns are 7-17 ATS in the last 24 meetings overall.
The Suns might still be kicking themselves after missing out on a major chance to close out the series early, but they don’t have much time to regroup as they could be facing a Game 7 if they don’t take care of business in this one. The Clippers came out with the right level of urgency in Game 5, particularly on the defensive end and George looked unstoppable in what was one of his best performances ever. The Suns are still in control of the series, but I think the Clippers’ role players like Cousins, Mann and Beverley will enjoy playing back at home, so I’m taking the Clippers to force a Game 7.
