The Clippers will once again be without star SF Kawhi Leonard due to a sprained right knee for Game 4 against the Suns. Leonard missed 30 games during the regular season, and the Clippers held an 11-19 record in games where he was out.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Breaking: The Clippers have ruled Kawhi Leonard out for Game 4 vs. the Suns. pic.twitter.com/gVAiDup5JP
— ESPN (@espn) April 22, 2023
The absence of Leonard in Game 3 played a large part in the Suns’ victory. However, the game was by no means easy for Phoenix, as they barely escaped with a five-point win.
Norman Powell put up a season-high 42 points on seven three pointers. And behind him was Russell Westbrook, who had just his second 30-plus point night in a Clippers uniform. The two made the Suns work a little bit harder than they most likely would have thought.
This hard fought effort from the Clippers forced Devin Booker to play in 45 minutes. Booker has now played 40+ minutes in all three playoff games this year, something he has not done since the 2021 run to the NBA Finals.
However, Booker believes that this is sustainable, and according to him, he would not mind playing the full 48 minutes if it meant winning.
Asked how he's feeling physically after only sitting for 12 minutes in these 3 playoff games, Devin Booker said, "If it was up to me, I wouldn't even have been out those 12 minutes."
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) April 21, 2023
If Game 3 proved anything, Kawhi is not the endgame for the Clippers, as they have plenty of depth to still make each game competitive. They will look to even the series at two games apiece on Saturday at 12:30 PM.
