With the first half in the rearview, the Phoenix Suns had some groundwork to do to establish a lead over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Phoenix went into halftime trailing 70-61. The Suns had picked up the intensity in the second half, but the Clippers were able to match it behind a spirited performance from Norman Powell.
Still, the Suns have Devin Booker, and that’s all that mattered during the second half. The end result was Phoenix winning Game 5 with a final score of 136-130, finishing the series with a 4-1 record.
Booker’s Massive Scoring Run
Booker has made sure to showcase a magnificent scoring and assisting run during this series. Coming into Tuesday, the 26-year-old guard was averaging 34.8 points on 57 percent shooting from the field. He was also shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc.
Booker continued the scoring dominance to higher levels on Tuesday, scoring an insane 47 points while shooting a highly effective 19-of-27 from the floor. His most important quarter of the night came in the third quarter. He put up 25 points during that timespan.
Even with all his scoring contributions, Booker was able to add 10 assists to his historic playing as well.
The Suns as a unit played one of the more historically better quarters in playoff franchise history. They were able to put up 50 third-quarter points. It’s the most in a single quarter in franchise history.
Deandre Ayton Finishes Off Impressive Night
Ayton was looking to have a phenomenal outing after his first half. He was able to score 10 points in just the first quarter alone.
With that, Ayton became effective on the boards, grabbing 11 for the contest. He finished the game with 21 points as well.
Normal Powell Puts Up a Fight
Though the Suns seemed to be running away with the contest as time began to expire in the fourth quarter, Norman Powell simply wouldn’t go away.
Powell was able to put up 27 points, including a clutch and-one during the final two minutes to help cut the lead to only two for Phoenix.
The Clippers were certainly striking back with players such as Powell and Nicolas Batum, but time wasn’t on their side.
With the win tonight, the Suns will have a few days off as they prepare for their next round matchup against the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets recently completed their series on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
