By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
In a night of shooting struggles for both Western Conference finalists, the Phoenix Suns managed to come up on top against the Los Angeles Clippers with a 84 – 80 win that hands them a 3-1 lead in the series. Phoenix is one victory away from its first trip to a championship series since 1993.
Devin Booker scored 25 points, DeAndre Ayton produced a big double-double of 19 points plus 22 rebounds and Chris Paul had 18 points and seven assists. No other Suns player scored more than six points as the team overall shot 31-86 baskets.
“That was a slugfest,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “It wasn’t Offense 101, for sure.”
The Clippers had their own problems with 27 – 83 shots overall and 5-31 from the 3-point line. Paul George finished with 23 points, more than half of them (12-18) via free throws while shooting 5-20 from the field. He also had 16 rebounds and six assists. Reggie Jackson dropped 20 points on 8-24 shots.