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Clippers vs Suns Game 5 Odds, Lineups, Picks and Injury Report

Chris Amberley

by Chris Amberley in NBA Basketball

Updated Jun 28, 2021 · 5:23 PM PDT

Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton huddle
The Phoenix Suns lead the Los Angeles Clippers 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)
  • The Phoenix Suns are 6-point home favorites over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday (June 28th, 9 pm ET)
  • Kawhi Leonard (knee) will miss his seventh straight game for LAC
  • See below for analysis, odds, injury news and a betting prediction

The Phoenix Suns are one win away from the NBA Finals. Devin Booker, Chris Paul and company grinded out an 84-80 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday, and can now eliminate the Clips in Game 5 on Monday at home.

Tip-off is set for shortly after 9 pm ET in Phoenix, a spot where the Suns haven’t lost since May 25th.

Clippers vs Suns Odds – Game 5

Team Spread Moneyline at FanDuel Total
Los Angeles Clippers +6.0 (-114) +198 O 214.5 (-110)
Phoenix Suns -6.0 (-106) -240 U 214.5 (-110)

Odds as of June 27th.

The Suns are currently a 6-point favorite, in a game that features a total of 214.5. Phoenix will enter Game 5 with a clean bill of health, while the Clippers will once again be missing their most important player.

Kawhi Ruled Out Again

Kawhi Leonard has yet to see the floor in this series, and hasn’t played since suffering a right knee sprain in Game 4 of LA’s 2nd Round series versus Utah two weeks ago.

Despite being on the sidelines, Leonard was still a big part of LA’s preparation and in-game adjustments during Games 3 and 4, communicating with his team in the locker room during halftime. The Clips won’t have the luxury of picking his brain during Game 5 however, as Leonard reportedly won’t travel with the team.

LA is 3-3 in the playoffs without Leonard, although their offense has struggled badly against Phoenix. The Clippers are scoring 13 fewer points per game than their regular season average, and are shooting just 42% from the field. They were one of the premier three-point shooting teams with Leonard in the lineup this season, but have been inconsistent from deep without him. In Game 4, they drained just 5-of-31 attempts from beyond the arc.

In late breaking news via Chris Haynes, Ivica Zubac will miss Game 5. The Clips will go small with Terrance Mann starting in his place.

Clippers vs Suns Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers
VS
Suns
Patrick Beverley PG Chris Paul
Reggie Jackson SG Devin Booker
Terrance Mann SF Mikal Bridges
Paul George PF Jae Crowder
Marcus Morris Sr. C Deandre Ayton

Suns Squeak Out Game 4 Win

Phoenix’s 84 points in Game 4 were the fewest by a winning team in any game all season. Devin Booker led the way with 25 before fouling out, while Deandre Ayton scored 19 points, and grabbed 22 rebounds. Chris Paul meanwhile, splashed 18 points and dished out 7 assists, and is now on the verge of the first Finals appearance of his 16-year career.

CP3 has the most All-Star appearances, All-NBA selections and career playoff points of any player without a Finals appearance, but that could all change come Monday. Phoenix has won five straight at home this postseason, and six of seven home playoff games overall, outscoring their opponents by an average of 11.5 points per contest.

Only Utah, Philadelphia and Brooklyn had more home victories during the regular season than the Suns, and Phoenix closed out the regular season by winning 14 of their final 15 home dates.

Play the Under

The Suns enter Monday’s action having won 10 of their past 11 playoff games, in large part thanks to their defense. Phoenix is allowing a playoff low 100.8 points per contest, and leads the postseason in opponent field goal percentage. 10 of their 14 playoff outings have failed to eclipse the over, and Game 5 sets up as another low scoring affair.

YouTube video

Without Kawhi, the Clippers have struggled to produce offensively, and outside of Paul George and Reggie Jackson, no LA player is averaging more than 12.8 points per outing in the Western Conference Finals.

The Clippers have been able to keep games close thanks to their defense, and have done an excellent job switching to keep Phoenix’s perimeter scorers in front of them, which has limited Booker in particular. The Suns leading scorer is averaging just 20 points over his past three games, while committing 17 turnovers. Not surprisingly, with their leading scorer falling short of his normal production, the Suns averaged only 93 points in Games 2 through 4.

Pick: Under 214.5 (-110)

 

 

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