Paul George had a monster game with 41 points, 13 rebounds and six assists and Marcus Morris chipped in 22 points with as the Clippers sent the series back to Los Angeles with a 116-102 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 5. Devin Booker led the Suns with 31 points, but shot 9-22 from the floor. Chris Paul also struggled, managing 22 points on 8-19 shooting.
Reggie Jackson and DeMarcus Cousins were vital scoring contributors for the Clippers with 23 and 15, respectively. With Ivica Zubac sidelined, Los Angeles went with a smaller lineup for most of the game and found success.
The Clippers covered the spread at +5.5. The over hit at 214.5. Even with Kawhi Leonard sidelined, Los Angeles continues to strong good team basketball and deliver results.
The Clippers jumped out to a quick 22-10 lead behind Morris’ hot start. The Suns cut the deficit to six on Cameron Johnson’s jumper, but the Clippers held a 44-30 advantage before Phoenix really made a game out of it. The Suns rattled off 12 straight points to make it a 44-42 game and seemed to find their footing. Los Angeles held a 59-52 halftime lead.
The Clippers maintained this distance for much of the third quarter, but went on a 9-2 run to close out the quarter with a 91-78 lead. Los Angeles held its edge early in the fourth quarter, but the Suns went on a 9-3 spurt of their own to cut the gap to 98-94.
It would all Los Angeles from there. Jackson and George were responsible for a 14-2 run to break the game open and Phoenix never got back in the contest.
The Suns committed 14 turnovers, ultimately leading to their downfall. The Clippers also managed to contain Deandre Ayton, limiting him to 10 points and 11 rebounds. Los Angeles will likely continue to go small as the series progresses even if Zubac is healthy.
Game 6 is Wednesday in Los Angeles at 9:00 PM ET
