Suns vs. Clippers Game 4 Open Thread

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns - 9:00pm ET (ESPN) - Suns lead 2-1

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

Just as everyone was ready to pencil the Suns into the NBA Finals, the Clippers threw a heck of a counterpunch with a convincing 14-point win at home Thursday night. As the Mavericks and Jazz both found out already, it’s apparently when they go down 2-0 that the Clippers enter Terminator mode, even without everybody’s basketball-playing robot, Kawhi Leonard.

Phoenix saw Chris Paul return for Game 3 after exiting the league’s COVID protocols; CP3 tallied 15 points and 12 assists, but struggled with his shot, finishing 5-of-19 from the field. Devin Booker cooled off considerably as well, hitting just five of his 21 attempts from the floor. The Rip Hamilton mask clearly did not agree with him. With the starting backcourt struggling, the Suns also suffered a scare when backup point and Game 2 star Cam Payne left with an ankle injury; fortunately for Phoenix, he is expected to take the floor tonight.

Paul George has certainly expelled the derisive Playoff P moniker, averaging 29.0 points and 6.3 assists per game in these Conference Finals. Reggie Jackson has assumed the secondary scoring mantle, averaging 22 points per game. Mr. June is earning himself a nice bag of coin as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Can that duo and the rest of the down-but-not-out Clippers even the series, or will the Suns win and find themselves one victory away from the franchise’s first Finals appearance since the famous 1993 Jordan-Barkley matchup? Let’s follow along together to find out.