Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Game 5 Prediction, Playoff Odds
After a defensive 84-80 win in L.A. over the Clippers on Saturday, the Phoenix Suns will get their first shot to clinch the Western Conference Finals when the series heads back to Phoenix for Game 5 on Monday.
The Suns are 5.5-point favourites to win on the NBA odds, with a total of 214.5.
Clippers vs. Suns NBA Playoff Odds
Sports Interaction bettors are split straight down the middle on which team to take in Game 5. The Over/Under is a little more straightforward with about 60 per cent of bettors taking the Under. That number makes sense, given the last three games between these teams have gone Under.
On the brink of elimination, the Clippers are in a tough spot for Game 5. L.A. has lost four of their last five games against Phoenix and they’ve also dropped four of their last five games on the road. The Clippers are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games overall and 13-6 ATS in their last 19 against the Suns. They’ve now dropped to massive +1400 underdogs to win the series.
Phoenix is 10-1 straight up in their last 11 games, going 9-2 ATS in that time. They’ll be happy to be home for Game 5, where they’ve won five straight games. It looks like it will be nearly impossible to slow the Suns down and they now sit -5000 to win the series.
Los Angeles Clippers
Despite four players hitting double-digit points, the Clippers couldn’t get it done in Game 4 and are one loss away from ending their season. Things went south immediately for L.A. on Saturday. They trailed by as much as 16 points in the first half and found themselves down 50-36 at the break. It was the least amount of first half points in the playoffs in franchise history. After leading the league in 3-point percentage during the regular season, the Clippers went 4-for-22 from three in the first half of Game 4, tied for their most missed three’s (18) in any half of a playoff game in franchise history.
Paul George and Reggie Jackson were the biggest offensive contributors on the team. George finished with 23 points, 16 rebounds and six assists. Jackson added 20 points and five rebounds. One of the ugliest stats for this team revolved around their failure to capitalize when trailing by a single-digit score in the fourth quarter. L.A. was 0-12 on fourth quarter shots that could have tied the game or given them the lead. That’s the worst number in the last 25 years.
Phoenix Suns
After a tough return to the lineup in Game 3, Chris Paul looked much better in Game 4 and helped Phoenix jump out to an early 12-2 lead. Paul was directly responsible for eight of those first 12 points, six of which were assists. He ended up finishing the game with 18 points, four rebounds and seven assists, including knocking down five clutch free-throws in the final seven seconds. Devin Booker had a game-high 25 points, but still struggled to hit shots consistently.
This was clearly a defence-first game, with both teams shooting under 36 per cent form the field and 20 per cent from three. That made the rebounding game huge and the Suns would go on to outrebound L.A. 64-61. Deandre Ayton had a career-high 22 rebounds, two short of Charles Barkley’s playoff franchise record. Ayton also added 19 points, four blocks, three assists and went 8-of-14 from the field and 3-of-3 from the 3-point line.
LAC
PHO