The Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns took part in a brutal one-sided battle within Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Claiming their first victory against the Suns, the Clippers were able to take them down with the help of their home crowd in a 106-92 win. Even with their star player, Kawhi Leonard, being out for the remainder of the postseason, Paul George showed up to take the lead role and refused to leave the building with a 3-0 series deficit.
Suffering an apparent knee injury during Game 4 against the Utah Jazz, Kawhi Leonard has been benched ‘indefinitely.’ Coaches and medical staff are taking every precaution as they fear his injury involves the athlete’s ACL and could be more serious than they believe as of right now. The main goal on everyone’s list is not to rush the process, but to have a healthy Kawhi for the rest of his NBA career.
George played one of the most impressive games we’ve seen from him this entire postseason. By putting 27 points, 8 assists, and 15 rebounds on the board for his team, he came within just inches of securing a long awaited triple-double for himself. He also impressed fans by turning back the clock with his half-court buzzer beater that he would sink to end the 3rd quarter, leaving the score at 80-69 with an eleven-point Clipper lead. As a result of the hard-fought battle and all-around hustle by Los Angeles in Game 3, they have now made themselves known as a force to be wrecked with as they trim their deficit to just 2-1 in the series.
Overlooking their loss, Devin Booker and the Suns played impressively well, they just did not produce enough hustle to stop the drive behind Los Angeles. Possessing the ability to do better, Booker only produced 15 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds but was eventually helped out by the long-awaited return of his friend and teammate, Chris Paul. The 36-year-old veteran showed out by putting up a total of 15 points and 12 assists in his first game back in the postseason, since June 13th against the Denver Nuggets. Unfortunately, this was not enough to almost secure their advancement to the 2021 NBA Conference Finals with what could have been a 3-0 series lead.