Suns jump up to 2-1 lead with Devin Booker scoring 42 points as Clippers lose 129-124 at home 

The Phoenix Suns stole a game along the way to take control of their first-round matchup, with Devin Booker proving to be the difference marker, scoring 45 points against the Kawhi-less Clippers in a 129-124 win in Los Angeles.

Phoenix took advantage of Leonard’s right knee sprain, the same injury that has sidelined fellow star Paul George since March 21, to regain home court advantage after surprisingly losing Game 1 on Sunday.

Booker connected on 18 of 29 shots and had seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks while playing a game-high for 44 minutes. He scored 38 points in Game 2.

Suns forward Kevin Durant shot 8-15 overall and made all of his 11 attempts from the free throw line to finish the night with 28 points, despite only making 1 of his 3 3-point attempts.

Norman Powell led the Clippers and scored a playoff-high 40 points on 14-of-22 shooting. Russell Westbrook added 30 points and 11 assists.

LA Clippers guard Norman Powell was shooting 14-of-22

With Leonard watching from the bench, the Clippers kept it close throughout the first half when neither team led by more than six.

The Clippers came within three on two free throws from Westbrook with 1:44 remaining. After a 6-0 run by the Suns, Powell hit a 3-pointer, was fouled, and made the free throw to pull the Clippers to 125-120.

Despite the exploits of former UCLA stars Powell and Westbrook, the Clippers sorely missed Leonard’s offense. He had 38 points in a Game 1 win at Phoenix and 31 in a Game 2 loss before his condition was deemed not good enough to play on Thursday.

The Suns pulled away in the third behind Booker. He scored eight points in a 17-8 run to open the period and give Phoenix its first double-digit lead of the game, 71-59.

Westbrook scored seven in a row to trim the Clippers’ deficit to 71–66. The Suns answered with eight straight, capped by Durant’s vicious one-handed strike, to lead 79–66. They led by seven going into the fourth.

Without Leonard, the Clippers counted on Westbrook and he made his presence known from the opening tip, scoring a 6-0 run to start the game.

The Suns answered with 12 consecutive points before the Clippers answered with a 14-2 spurt that gave them a 20-14 lead.

The Clippers led by one as Durant, Chris Paul and Booker hit consecutive three-pointers to go up by eight in the second, Phoenix’s largest lead of the half.

Powell walked eight straight points to send the Clippers into halftime trailing 54–51.

Booker’s heroics made it his fifth postseason game of 40+ points in his career. Chris Paul finished with 11 points and seven assists.

A major positive takeaway for the Clippers: their reserves outscored the Suns’ bench, 37-18, with Bones Hyland scoring 20 points, despite now falling to 3-10 this season without Leonard and George in the lineup. Nicolas Batum was the lone starter who didn’t score.

Game 4 is Saturday in Los Angeles.