Back to the wall, the Clippers responded.
Still deprived of Kawhi Leonard and Serge Ibaka, but also of Ivica Zubac, the players of Ty Lue won in Phoenix last night (102-116), during Game 5 of the series which opposes the two teams in the finals of Western Conference.
Devin Booker (31 pts), Chris Paul (22 pts) and company burn a wild card, they who had the opportunity to compost their ticket for the NBA Finals in case of success.
They still lead 3-2 in the series.
Note the lack of impact of DeAndre Ayton (10 pts, 11 rbs).
Led by a (very) great Paul George, author of 41 points including 30 after the break, the Clips attacked the meeting perfectly and counted up to 15 lengths ahead in the first period.
Not enough to win these Suns, who returned to the floor with a knife between their teeth and glued to -4 (67-71) in the third quarter.
New hot shot from LA, "PG13" in the lead, who posted a 13-point lead at the start of the last quarter (78-91).
Answer to everything
Phoenix took advantage of a rest period granted to Paul George to revive the suspense, with for example large baskets of this devil of Booker (91-96). The Clippers were starting to lose control and their nerves, including George, author of a stupid foul after a Phoenix throw (94-98). Until then, they have always had the answer. And it was still the case, with these eight consecutive points from Reggie Jackson, yet discreet before that, including two award-winning shots (96-108). Marcus Morris (22 pts) was strong at the start, Jackson (23 pts) at the end. And Paul George all along (102-116 final score). 2 points, 8 rebounds from Nicolas Batum, who will join the Blues at the end of the season.
The two teams will meet again on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, at the Staples Center. The Suns will have another opportunity to conclude and return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993. At the time, the Phoenix captain was called Charles Barkley. And the executioner, Michael Jordan, with a 4-2 success of the Bulls, crowned for the third time in a row before the first retirement of "MJ".