By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The Phoenix Suns couldn’t count on a key piece in Chris Paul due to the veteran star point guard catching COVID, however, that didn’t stop the team from Arizona to win Game 1 against the LA Clippers with 120-114 on the scoreboard.
The game was tied at 95 at the start of the fourth quarter but Devin Booker’s three-pointer sparked a 10-0 run which was crucial in the hosts’ efforts and ended up deciding the victor despite the Clippers having a chance thanks to Rajon Rondo and Terance Mann’s late triples (116-114). Booker, however, put a stop to it with a dunk and two free throws.
Booker stepped up to the occasion with his first career triple-double, putting up 40 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists while DeAndre Ayton added 20 (nine rebounds) and Mikal Bridges 14 points.
Booker became the second Suns player to log a 40-point triple-double following in the footsteps of Charles Barkley.
For Clippers, who lost Kawhi Leonard during the series against the Utah Jazz, Paul George continued with great performances but it wasn’t enough this time. He scored 34 points with Reggie Jackson’s 24 points helping out. Ivica Zubac scored nine.
The LA squad fount itself once again trailing as was the case in the previous two series when they lost Games 1 and 2 but managed to make adjustments and rally back to win 4-3 versus the Dallas Mavericks and 4-2 versus the Utah Jazz.