![]() ![]() That's just an insane stat, and just elevates how impressive Westbrook was in Game 4, and throughout this series. Westbrook also became just the second player in NBA playoff history to score at least 37 points without attempting a single free throw, joining Chuck Person in 1991. It was the second-straight game of at least 30 points for Westbrook, the first time he's done that since April 2018 when he was still with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not only that but he shot the ball incredibly efficiently, going 17 of 29 from the floor, on top of six rebounds, four assists a steal and a block. He finished Game 4 with 37 points, and was the main reason that the Clippers were even in the game down the stretch. The Clippers have put the ball in his hands and allowed him the freedom to do the things he excels at. He's a ball-dominant guard who needed to learn how to play off the ball, something that never clicked with the Lakers.īut this playoff series has shown that while he didn't fit with the Lakers, he's still capable of being a highly productive player in this league. It's true, Westbrook's time with the Lakers was a disappointment, and it just came down to a lack of fit. After all, Westbrook just had an unsuccessful, well-chronicled stint with the Lakers in which he was continuously made to be the scapegoat for the purple and gold's failures in the first half of the season. When the Clippers picked up Westbrook after he was bought out by the Utah Jazz following a trade from the Lakers, many thought it was a bad idea. Where would the Clippers be without Russell Westbook? With the limited time this core of players has gotten with each other, they've managed to figure things out on the fly and Game 4 felt like the start of something for the Suns going forward. Williams isn't wrong, after two huge performances from Booker to get the Suns previous two wins, this Game 4 victory felt like the most balanced performance from Phoenix's three-headed monster in Paul, Booker and Durant. "I though all three of them were in 'go' mode today." "I think the mental fortitude that it takes to come back from the game had the other day, and all three of those guys are trying to figure out, 'you go, I go,' that kind of thing," Williams said. After the game, Suns coach Monty Williams tipped his cap to Paul's bounce back performance. You can tell by Paul's reaction that he didn't even expect that to go in, but it was just that type of game for the veteran guard. This 3-pointer with just under four minutes left in the game gave the Suns an 11-point lead and ended up being the dagger that iced the game for the Suns: As the Clippers tried to keep pace with Phoenix, Paul proceeded to score 12 points on 5 of 9 from the field, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range to not just keep the lead for the Suns put effectively put the game out of reach. Then vintage Chris Paul decided to take over in the fourth quarter. At the start of the fourth quarter he only had seven points, was 3 of 8 from the field and the Suns were clinging to a five-point lead. ![]() For the first three quarters of Game 4, it didn't appear like Paul was going to get that bounce back performance. The Suns still got the win, but it was obvious that Phoenix needed him to bounce back from that subpar performance. Paul was coming off a Game 3 performance in which he went just 5 of 18 from the field, committed an uncharacteristic three turnovers and finished the game with just 11 points. ![]() Here's three takeaways from Phoenix's win. It was a great effort from the shorthanded Clippers, but now they'll face elimination in Game 5 back in Phoenix. with 37 points, but it wasn't enough to outpace a potent Suns team. It was a complete effort from Phoenix's Big 3, but it wasn't easy as the Clippers hung around until there were three minutes left in the game. Kevin Durant had his best performance of the series, racking up 31 points and 11 rebounds, while Devin Booker totaled 27 points. Paul got 12 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter to go along with nine assists and four rebounds. ![]() The Phoenix Suns used a huge fourth quarter from Chris Paul to close out the Los Angeles Clippers and take a 3-1 series lead with a 112-100 win Saturday afternoon. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |