Jacob Sisneros
2 min read • April 25, 2023
Posted in
What was shaping up to be a heavyweight bout in the Western Conference has been deflated by a right knee sprain to Clippers star Kawhi Leonard.
The mild-mannered forward will miss his third straight game of the series and his return chances are dubious at best. Here’s how the remaining players stack up against the mostly healthy Suns.
Without stars Paul George and Leonard, the Clippers have turned to Russell Westbrook and Norman Powell on offense.
Powell dropped 42 points in a five-point loss in Game 3 and Westbrook had 37 in the 12-point loss in Game 4.
However, they have allowed 123, 129 and 112 in the last three games, respectively. If they can survive and advance to Game 6, they will have to replicate George and Leonard’s production on both ends of the floor.
The Suns have all essentially all of their pieces healthy at the right time, outside of bench producer Cameron Payne.
That last part may change for Game 5 as Payne is listed as probable to play through his lower back soreness for the first time all series.
Payne has not played since April 7, when he logged 13 points in 15 minutes against the Lakers.
If Phoenix can close out the series, their next game would likely come on Saturday against either the Denver Nuggets or Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Suns are favored by 12.5 points at home and the over/under is 224.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Phoenix is -50000 to win the series and +390 to win the NBA Finals.
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Written by Jacob Sisneros
