Phoenix Suns vs LA Clippers Odds: Game 3 Preview

Clippers Aim to Defend Home Court

Suns Hope to Carry Momentum on the Road

The Phoenix Suns will hope to reclaim home-court advantage in their first-round series as they head on the road to LA to take on the Clippers. Here’s a look at our Phoenix Suns vs LA Clippers Odds preview as we dive into the Game 3 matchup between these two teams.

The Suns needed a huge second-half effort from Devin Booker to help them level the series as the home team rallied from a 14-point deficit to secure a 123-109 win in Game 2. Booker finished with 38 points and 9 assists as he completely took over after halftime on an extremely efficient shooting night.

The Clipper’s offense simply couldn’t do the same as they missed plenty of wide-open 3-pointers that could’ve stemmed the tide and kept them in the contest down the stretch. Kawhi Leonard was again at his best, finishing with 31 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists while Russell Westbrook was also excellent as he put up 28 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Nic Batum, Bones Hyland, and Normal Powell combined to go 0-for-11 from the 3-point range and that ultimately proved the difference down the stretch.

The Clippers have opened as 2.5-point home underdogs for Game 3 on the NBA point spread while the total is set at 228.0 points.

Suns logo Phoenix Suns vs LA Clippers Clippers logo

Day/Time:
Location: Crypto.com Arena

Clippers Need to Make Defensive Adjustments

No coach in the league is better known for their game-to-game adjustments than Ty Lue in the NBA playoffs and you can be sure he’ll have some new wrinkles set for Game 3.

The Suns shot an incredible 72% on 2-point field goal attempts outside the paint in Game 2 and while that’s something you can largely live with as a head coach there will also be a level of recognition that they need to do a better job of closing that space.

Booker, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant are as comfortable as anyone operating in that midrange and playing a deep drop coverage on pick-and-roll action simply allow the Suns stars to get uncontested looks in areas they’re most comfortable.

The physicality we saw from them in the first half of Game 2 is what I would expect to be deployed in Game 3; man-to-man defense where the primary objective is to prevent the Suns stars from being able to catch the ball in their actions.

If they can make the Suns work for every possession the minutes that their starters are logging is something that can and will become a factor the longer this series goes on.

Suns Must Control Tempo

If Monty Williams plans to play Booker and Durant for 44+ minutes per night in this series then it is imperative the team does a better job of controlling the tempo.

Phoenix doesn’t have the depth to accommodate their starters rest in games but allowing the Clippers to operate a pace-and-space style is something that will begin to catch up with them sooner rather than later.

In Game 2, the LA Clippers averaged 10.1 seconds per possession off missed field goal attempts by the Suns. For reference, that’s the same pace that the Sacramento Kings are playing at in their series with the Golden State Warriors.

The difference comes in how LA is running their offense off made baskets. In those instances they’re taking 19.5 seconds per possession on average in the two games played this series and that halfcourt pace is what will favor the Suns at both ends of the floor should they manage to control the tempo in that regard.

The Suns starting five led the NBA standings in net rating playing at a below-league-average pace since the arrival of Durant. They know it’s in their best interest to play slow, but combined with the huge minutes that their starters are being asked to play it’s imperative that Monty Williams emphasizes the need to stop fastbreak opportunities and settle things to their pace.

With the series heading back to LA, there’s still value in the full game Over in this series based on tempo and offensive efficiency from both teams. The Clippers will shoot better from the perimeter at home and they’ll continue to find ways to push off misses, especially when Westbrook is on the floor.

That’s all for our Phoenix Suns vs LA Clippers Odds preview. Be sure to check back for all our NBA betting previews and analysis.

For NBA betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.


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