Will Leonard carry the Clippers again?
Phoenix suffered a nasty surprise in the first matchup of the series against the LA Clippers. The home side were the clear favorites, but in the end the visitors prevailed 115-110.
Phoenix Suns – statistics & current form
The Valley basketball team hadn’t lost once in eight games before the series opener with Kevin Durant in their ranks. Now for the postseason opener, however, the time had come and the timing for the first loss couldn’t have been more inopportune from the Suns’ perspective.
The pressure is already on for the team in game two, especially since they haven’t experienced the situation of losing the first game of a series in quite some time. Prior to the loss to the Clippers, the hosts had successfully won the opener of a series six times in a row.
LA Clippers – statistics & current form
LA will probably have to do without its top player Paul George for the entire series due to injury, but the basket-ball hunters from the West Coast have a top-performing Kawhi Leonard in their ranks instead. The two-time Finals MVP delivered no less than 38 points in the recent win over the Suns.
In addition, Russell Westbrook did not score well in the last game with only three successful throws from the field, but otherwise did his job very well on the court at the Footprint Center. To be read among other things on ten boards, eight assists and three blocks.
Westbrook can handle playoff pressure
In addition, his great experience was evident in the last duel, when he nervously converted two free throws towards the end of the game and then set another block against Devin Booker. Especially in the playoffs, the recently acquired veteran could prove to be particularly useful.
Phoenix Suns – LA Clippers Tip
In Game 2 in the 2023 NBA playoffs between the Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers, the prediction and odds offer more than 28.5 points by Kawhi Leonard. Without the injured Paul George, it depends especially on the “claw” in the offense of the guests at the moment.
This was already observed in the last game, when the small forward with 38 points delivered not only the best yield of his team, but of all players on the court. Due to his great experience, the two-time champion is also ideally suited for the currently particularly large workload in the forward game on the part of the Clippers.