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Suns vs Clippers Game 4 Odds, Lineups, Picks and Injury Report

Sam Cox

by Sam Cox in NBA Basketball

Updated Jun 25, 2021 · 7:00 PM PDT

Suns
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 24: Phoenix Suns Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul, Cameron Johnson, and Devin Booker break a huddle during the Phoenix Suns game versus the Los Angeles Clippers game 3 NBA Western Conference Finals game on June 24, 2021, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire)
  • The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers meet at Staples Center for Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday June, 26th
  • Phoenix leads the series 2-1 after the Clippers won Game 3
  • Read below for the latest injury news, odds and more

It’s risky business taking a 2-0 lead against the Los Angeles Clippers. Once again having lost the first two matchups of the series, the Clips fought back in Game 3 on Thursday. With Chris Paul back on the hardwood, the Clippers remain underdogs for Game 4, but by a narrow margin.

Devin Booker was in a protective mask after suffering a broken nose in Game 2. Paul was ice-cold. Ty Lue yet again made the right adjustments, and yet again the Clippers have pulled themselves back into a series which was threatening to get away from them.

The pressure remains on LA in Game 4 – they cannot afford to fall 3-1 down before heading back to Arizona.

Suns vs Clippers Game 4 Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total Points at FanDuel
Phoenix Suns -1 (-108) -112 Over 218.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Clippers +1 (-112) -104 Under 218.5 (-110)

Odds as of June 25th

Injury Report

The Clippers are likely still without Kawhi Leonard (knee). The Klaw was spotted in the stands for the Clips’ Game 3 triumph, but there’s been minimal information on his availability for the rest of this series.

Leonard’s former Raptors teammate Serge Ibaka is out for the year after back surgery. Marcus Morris was demoted to the bench for Game 3 and has been playing through a knee issue. Ty Lue has made a habit of tweaking his starting five throughout these playoffs, and it will be interesting to see what role Morris has to play on Saturday. He backed up Ivica Zubac at the five on Thursday.

On Phoenix’s side, they were delighted to welcome back Chris Paul from health and safety protocols. Their backcourt took another hit, however, with Cam Payne (ankle) leaving Game 3 and not returning. He’s currently listed as day-to-day for Game 4. Abdel Nader (knee) is out – he’s the only other Sun on the injury report.

Suns vs Clippers Projected Lineups

Suns
VS
Clippers
Chris Paul PG Reggie Jackson
Devin Booker SG Patrick Beverley
Mikal Bridges SF Terance Mann
Jae Crowder PF Paul George
Deandre Ayton C Ivica Zubac
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Backcourt Bounce Back

Chris Paul and Devin Booker were a combined 10-for-40 from the field in Game 3. Paul looked rusty after the best part of two weeks without a game. Booker was perhaps distracted by the mask, and he was troubled by the ever-hustling Patrick Beverley. Even so, such performances are unlikely to be repeated by Phoenix’s All-Star duo.

This was Booker’s lowest-scoring game since April 13th. He had four turnovers and four fouls alongside his inefficient shooting. Some of this can be attributed to Beverley and great Clippers defense, which spilled over into obvious frustration. From a betting perspective, though, it’s fair to look at this as a freak night from one of the game’s premier scorers.

The same goes for Paul. He knocked down some of his patented midrangers as Ivica Zubac dropped on the pick-and-roll, but the future Hall of Famer missed plenty of makeable shots throughout the game, too.

The Suns backcourt will be more productive in Game 4. It will be a challenge for the Clippers to keep pace.

Clips Offense Searches

After posting all-time three-point numbers in the regular season, the Clippers won Game 4 despite shooting a shade over 35% from deep. Terrance Mann did his thing again, going six-for-eight from the field. Reggie Jackson had another 20+ point game. They got just enough from Morris and Luke Kennard off the bench.

With Zubac clogging the lane, though, the Clippers’ offense is clumsier. Paul George had nowhere to drive, and Zubac struggled to finish inside, finishing three-for-eight from the field. It’s been a season-long issue for the former Laker, and the Clippers cannot afford for him to miss easy looks in Game 4.

Game 3 was a win for the Clippers’ defense. They still need more on offense, though, particularly with Booker and Paul expected to bounce back. George has done well as a playmaker, and he scored 27 in Game 3 (admittedly on 26 shots), but the Clips need to step up and help him out. If not, they became incredibly dependent on Jackson continuing this immense postseason surge.

Even Teams

This has been a well-matched series. Booker and George dueled in Game 1. Only a dramatic Ayton game-winner stole Game 2 for the Suns. It took a nightmare-worthy shooting performance from the Suns’ stars for the Clips to comfortably win Game 3.

Caution is required betting against the Clippers. It looked like this could get away from them when Ayton tipped in the winner in Phoenix, but they fought back in Game 3, fighting hard on the boards and maintaining aggression at both ends. This isn’t the team from the bubble. They are resilient, and they have proven twice how they can come from behind.

With it being so difficult to pick between the teams, the value might lie elsewhere. Since 234 points were scored in Game 1, they have not close to the 218.5 total set by FanDuel for this game. They have been under 210 in both games – there’s good odds on an alternate spread here.

  • Pick: Under 210.5 points (+190)
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