PHOENIX – Kawhi Leonard had a great night of filming while Russell Westbrook had a terrible one.
Both players nonetheless made a big impact for the Los Angeles Clippers in their 115-110 win over the Phoenix Suns in Sunday’s opener of the Western Conference playoff series.
Leonard poured in 38 points, including two late 3-pointers, while Westbrook was a threat everywhere except in the points column. The veteran guard shot just 3 of 19 from the field but finished with nine points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and two steals.
“Each season throughout my career, I take pride in doing it all,” Westbrook said. “Whatever it takes from me to win the game, I will do it.”
That’s exactly what happened in the last 30 seconds. Westbrook made two free throws with 17.7 seconds left for a three-point lead, then blocked Devin Booker’s layup attempt at the other end and batted the ball from Booker to give the ball to the Clippers with 10.1 seconds left.
Eric Gordon added 19 points and hit a late 3 that kept the Clippers ahead.
Kevin Durant scored 27 points for the Suns, who lost on the floor for the first time with him. Phoenix acquired the two-time NBA Finals MVP from Brooklyn in February, and injuries limited him to eight games — all Suns wins.
Devin Booker added 26 points for Phoenix, who will try not to fall into a 2-0 hole at home on Tuesday.
The Suns were down 109-103 with 1:33 points remaining but scored the next five points. The Clippers grabbed several offensive rebounds on subsequent possession before Westbrook made his critical free throws.
Los Angeles led most of the evening through the middle of the third quarter. Torrey Craig made back-to-back buckets, including one on a powerful fast-break dunk, to put Phoenix 70-68 ahead.
It was part of a 15-0 run that gave the Suns a 77-68 lead. The Clippers, led by Leonard’s 12 points in the third, rebounded and leveled the game with 81 – all going into the fourth.
“They’re going to have a run at home, we get that,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “We built a lead, they ran away and now we have to keep our composure and be ready to fight back. I thought everyone who played tonight was great.”
Leonard — a two-time Finals MVP playing his first playoff game since June 14, 2021 — directed much of his damage from middle range, but moved behind the 3-point arc in the late moments of the game. He hit a 3 with 2:36 left and another at the 2 minute mark, completing 13 of 24 shots from the field.
The Clippers were missing one of their best players in eight-time All-Star Paul George. He sprained his right knee last month and it’s unclear if he can play in this series.
Gordon scored 12 points as the Clippers jumped to a 30-18 lead after a quarter. The Suns shot just 31.8% from the field in the first quarter and Durant remained scoreless.
“It’s a game,” said Suns coach Monty Williams. “We’ll watch the film and regroup.”
Durant missed his first five shots from the field before finally hitting a middle-distance jumper early in the second quarter. That seemed to shake nerves and the 34-year-old collected 17 points before the break and helped cut the Clippers’ lead to 59-54.
The Suns had broken their six-game winning streak in the Game 1 playoffs.
TIP INS
Clippers: George hasn’t played since March 21. … Ivica Zubac had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the first half.
Suns: G Cam Payne (back pain) was unavailable. He was injured in the penultimate game of the regular season. …played their first home playoff game since a 33-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of last year’s Western Conference Semifinals.
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