The Los Angeles Clippers took a 1-0 lead in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs Sunday night. The 5 seed Clippers beat the 4 seed Phoenix Suns 115-110 to steal home court advantage from Phoenix.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!There were key plays down the stretch from a few players on both sides. The big play that stood out was a Russell Westbrook‘s defensive stand on Devin Booker.
However throughout the entire game, it felt like Kawhi Leonard was the puppeteer controlling it. Every time the Suns took the lead or made a run, Leonard made a shot to give the Clippers the momentum.
Kawhi Defensively
Kawhi Leonard took on the task of guarding Kevin Durant for most of the night and did the most important thing you can do against him. He got the ball out of his hands.
Durant is one of, if not the best scorer the NBA currently has, forcing him to become the distributor is key. Every time he passes the ball, it is a sigh of relief for opposing coaches and fanbases.
Leonard denied Durant all night and stayed on his hip during drives. Durant seemed uncomfortable at times trying to get a shot off, in the third quarter specifically.
Durant still was one of the best players on the floor last night, scoring 27 points and dishing out 11 assist. He also grabbed 9 rebounds, leaving him one shy of a triple double.
On Offense Kawhi…
On offense Kawhi had a special game all around. He is the epitome of a sleeping beast you do not want to awake. His calm demeanor allowing the game to come to him combined with a shooting touch of an angel.
Leonard personally answered every call the Phoenix Suns made to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1. Scoring 38 points in a consistent outburst.
Those 38 points felt like 55 points last night. The way he was getting to his spots and hitting the bottom of the net was dominating to say the least.
In 42 minutes he added 5 boards and 5 assist. The performance on both sides of the basketball from him in Game 1 is what arguably makes him the number 1 talent in this league.
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Rowan Donaghey is a Sports and Betting insider, and breaking news reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on twitter via @RowanDonaghey
