NBA | Suns commanding series lead

Booker and Paul combine to keep Clippers at bay

June 28, 2021 05:11 am | Updated 05:11 am IST - Los Angeles

Coaxing it in: Devin Booker beats the defence of Clippers’ Nicolas Batum, left, and Terance Mann.

Coaxing it in: Devin Booker beats the defence of Clippers’ Nicolas Batum, left, and Terance Mann.

Devin Booker scored 25 points and Chris Paul made several clutch free-throws in the waning moments as Phoenix Suns held on for an 84-80 win over Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA Western Conference finals.

Tough fight

The Suns led wire-to-wire but it was far from easy. They led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, but saw that dwindle to just one in the fourth.

Deandre Ayton finished with 19 points and 22 rebounds and Mikal Bridges chipped in with six points and 13 rebounds for the Suns, who are one win away from reaching their first NBA finals since 1993.

Paul George led the Clippers with 23 points and 16 rebounds while Reggie Jackson had 20 points and Ivica Zubac finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Low-scoring game

This was one of the lowest-scoring games of these playoffs thanks to strong defensive play mixed in with some poor shooting by both teams in the fourth quarter.

With Booker sitting on the bench because of too many fouls, the game went through a four-minute stretch in the fourth where neither team scored a basket.

The result: Western Conference finals: Los Angeles Clippers 80 lost to Phoenix Suns 84 (Suns lead series 3-1) .

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