Suns Defeat Clippers in Clutch Game 4 Performance
At no point was it easy for the Phoenix Suns, but they were able to get it done when it mattered in their 112-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4.
The Suns now take a strong 3-1 series lead over the Clippers with a chance to wrap things up at home in Game 5 on Tuesday.
Prior to the game, Suns coach Monty Williams touched on trying to prevent his starters from reaching insane minutes night in/night out:
“It’s something I’ve talked to the guys about and I’m watching and going over our rotation template. We did a bunch yesterday to try to figure out when we can shave those minutes because I don’t want to do what I did last game, but at the end of the day, the goal is to win the game and so there’s a balance there for sure. But I’m also mindful of it and we’re gonna try to see where we can do it," Williams said.
Game 4 proved that to be another tough task for the Suns in what was a back-and-forth game from start to finish, which required Williams to stick with his starters for another lofty amount of minutes.
Kevin Durant (31 points in 44 mins) and Devin Booker (30 points in 41 mins) paved the way for Phoenix in another night where bench production was lacking, as they received just nine total points from their bench. Los Angeles produced 29.
In the absence of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, Clippers PG Russell Westbrook led the way with 37, hitting back-to-back 30+ point playoff games since 2018. No Clippers started finished with a positive +/-.
Both teams held leads in the double digits at one point in the night.
Chris Paul came up clutch for the Suns down the stretch, finishing with 19 points, nine assists, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
Game 5 is on Tuesday in Phoenix.
