The Phoenix Suns overcame a 13-point deficit in the second quarter to earn a crucial 109-123 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. The Suns vs. Clippers series is now tied at 1-1 and is headed to Los Angeles.
After surprisingly dropping Game 1 at home, the Suns entered Game 2 with a sense of urgency. It was close to a must-win game as it gets since they knew that falling into a 0-2 hole would greatly diminish their chances of advancing to the second round. But despite this, things got bad for Phoenix early on.
The Clippers, energized by the win in Game 1, were a much better team throughout the better part of the first half. Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook were cooking early on, fuelling the LA team to a double-digit lead in the second quarter.
When falling behind two games became a real threat for the star-studded Suns’ team, All-Star guard Devin Booker decided to take things into his own hands. Booker made a buzzer-beater at the end of the first half to tie the score at 59-59 before leading Phoenix’s charge with 18 points in the third period.
Overall, Booker had 38 points and nine assists for the night, being the biggest reason why the Suns turned things around and got a win. He received help from co-star Kevin Durant, who had 25 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
“He’s an all-around player,” Durant said about Booker. “He can do everything at an elite level on a basketball court.”
The Suns will now head to LA for the next two games in the series. Game 3 will be played on Thursday night at Crypto Arena.
