NBA Playoff DifferenceMakers: June 22, 2021

What were the key stats or moments that determined the outcome of the Phoenix Suns’ wild Game 2 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers?

Phoenix Suns 104, Los Angeles Clippers 103

Suns lead series 2-0

FINAL BOX SCORE

Payne & Ayton Step Up

Chris Paul is still out due to health and safety protocols, but there is hope that he’ll return for Game 3 on Thursday. In the meantime, the rest of the Suns needed to step up in this game if they wanted to get to Los Angeles with a 2-0 series lead.

Devin Booker, coming off his 40-point triple-double, ended up having a pretty rough game. He finished with “just” 20 points on 5-of-16 shooting and a broken nose after bumping heads with Patrick Beverley.

Enter Cameron Payne and Deandre Ayton. Payne, filling in at starting point for Paul for the second straight game came away with a career-high 29 points, nine assists, and zero turnovers. He has come a long way since his Oklahoma City days. This game felt like the culmination of that journey, as he fearlessly slashed to the basket (10-of-16 inside the arc) and dished out dimes.

Ayton followed up with 24 points and 14 rebounds. He has had his share of inconsistency throughout his three years in the NBA. However, Deandre was phenomenal on this night, notching his ninth double-double of the playoffs. This was also Ayton’s second straight 20-point game and his sixth of the postseason. While he made a number of great plays in the paint, his most important points were his last ones, as he caught an inbound lob from Jae Crowder for the game-winning jam.

I think it was fair to wonder how the Suns would fare without Chris Paul at the beginning of these conference finals. The young Suns, and the lone vet Crowder, have emphatically answered those questions. This collective is handling this big moment with the utmost poise.

Points in the Paint

22 of Ayton’s 24 points came from inside the paint, but that only accounts for 36.7 percent of the Suns’ total dominance in the key tonight. Phoenix housed the Clippers 60-30 within the painted area. This is their second decisive victory in the interior, as they also owned the category 54-34 in Game 1.

Phoenix’s offensive versatility has made it difficult for Los Angeles to hone in on a specific part of the court to lock down. It’s hard to protect the paint when you have to worry about Booker’s elusiveness, Ayton’s strength inside, and the pick-your-poison nature of Phoenix’s role players either diving into the key or getting open for a 3.

The game remained close due to Phoenix’s woes from beyond the arc (6-of-26, 23.1 percent). However, the Clippers could be in trouble on Thursday if they give up another bad night in the paint and the Suns’ long distance shooting stroke also manages to return.

Extended Delays Down the Stretch

This was an exciting game overall, but it didn’t have much of a flow to it. Things completely grounded to a halt in the closing minutes of the game. According to StatMuse, the constant reviews and a disorganized final possession caused the final 90 minutes of the game to take 33 real-time minutes!

Despite all the holdups, the gameplay in between was pretty exciting. The time standing around gave both coaches opportunities to draw up some great plays for their players. As a result, Paul George and Devin Booker hit back-to-back shots that would have been daggers in most other games. George then missed two crucial free throws that would have put the game away. That eventually led to the game-winning oop to Ayton.

In the end, there were as many reviews during the last minute-and-a-half as there were made field goals over that span. As irksome as it all was, it’s good to see that overzealous officiating couldn’t keep a good game down!