Devin Booker drops 47 points as the Phoenix Suns reach NBA playoffs second round
Devin Booker drops 47 points as the Phoenix Suns come back from double-digit deficit in the second half vs. LA Clippers to reach Western Conference Semifinals and set up matchup with No. 1 seeded Nuggets
- Devin Booker was the star of the show at the Footprint Center on Tuesday night
- Kevin Durant also impressed scoring 31 points as Suns won the first round 4-1
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Devin Booker scored 47 points, including 25 in the third quarter as the Phoenix Suns advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals with a 136–130 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.
The Suns roared back from a double-digit second-half deficit on Tuesday to set up a second-round matchup with the Denver Nuggets after overcoming the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Kevin Durant scored 31 points and Deandre Ayton added 21 points with 11 rebounds as the No. 4-seed Suns bounced back from a Game 1 loss to roll through the rest of the series winning the next four games.
Phoenix now faces the No. 1-seeded Nuggets, which starts in Denver on Saturday.
Norman Powell scored 27 points and Ivica Zubac added 16 points and 10 rebounds as the short-handed Clippers went the entire series without Paul George (knee) and Kawhi Leonard (knee) lost after Game 2. Los Angeles nearly erased a 20 deficit points off in the fourth quarter.
Devin Booker was the star of the show as he scored 47 points as the Suns advanced on Tuesday
Kevin Durant also played as Phoenix defeated LA Clippers to reach the Western Conference Semifinals
Booker dropped 25 points in the third quarter as the Suns advanced to the second round of the playoffs
Mason Plumlee had 20 points and Russell Westbrook added 14 for the Clippers, who were considered title contenders at the start of the season but lacked consistency as George and Leonard struggled with injuries.
The Clippers held a 71–61 lead early in the third quarter before the Suns went to work. Phoenix took an 80-79 lead with 6:18 left in the third on a Booker dunk. It was Phoenix’s first lead since 6:18 into the first half.
Booker then turned in 12 points in an 18-0 Suns run that gave them a 104-86 lead with 1:24 left in the third quarter. Phoenix defeated Los Angeles 50-24 in the period by shooting 63 percent (17 of 27) from the field as he took a 111-94 lead.
Westbrook got a flagrant foul late in the third quarter as the game began to slip and Bones Hyland had another early in the fourth period for Los Angeles. But the Clippers rallied again with consecutive three-pointers from Nicolas Batum, Powell, Terance Mann and Batum to come within 128-125 with 3:19 left.
The Clippers were inside 132-130 with less than two minutes left in the game, but couldn’t get any closer as Durant scored the game’s final four points. Chris Paul had 15 points and seven assists for Phoenix, while Josh Okogie added 11 points.
Russell Westbrook’s season is over after the Clippers fell to a 4-1 first round loss