Chris Paul bursts for 41 as Suns knock out Clippers, advance to 2021 NBA Finals | Launderer report

The Phoenix Suns will make the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993 after defeating host Los Angeles Clippers 130-103 in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday at Staples Center.

Chris Paul’s 41 points on 16 of 24 (7 of 8 three-pointers) and eight assists guided the Suns, who also benefited from Devin Booker’s 22 points and Deandre Ayton’s 16-point, 17-rebound double. . double.

Phoenix shot 56.4 percent from the field and hit 17 of 31 three-pointers. A 16-3 streak that lasted the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth gave Phoenix a comfortable 105-85 lead en route to the 27-point victory.

Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard was left out with a sprained right knee that kept him sidelined for the entire series. Marcus Morris Sr. led LA with 26 points in his absence. Paul George had 21 points on 6 of 15 shots.

Phoenix won the game in best of seven games four to two.

Notable performances

Suns PG Chris Paul: 41 points, 8 assists, 3 steals

Suns SG Devin Booker: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

Suns C Deandre Ayton: 16 points, 17 rebounds

Clippers F Paul George: 21 points, 9 rebounds

Clippers G Reggie Jackson: 13 points, 8 assists

Clippers F Marcus Morris Sr.: 26 points, 9 rebounds

CP3 dominates en route to very first final appearance

Chris Paul played professional basketball for 16 seasons, and his future Hall of Fame resume includes 11 All-Star appearances, 10 All-NBA team nods and nine All-NBA defensive team honors. . He’s also led the NBA in assists on four occasions and has stolen on six other occasions.

That’s all plus a pair of Olympic gold medals on a phenomenal resume that has just about everything outside of an NBA MVP and an NBA Championship.

CP3 is very fortunate to mark this latest achievement as the Suns enter the championship for the first time in 28 years.

Paul propelled Phoenix to the final on Wednesday with an absolutely masterful performance. Among other highlights, he found Mikal Bridges with a nice alley-oop pass and managed a few top three in a first half that saw Phoenix lead by nine at the break:

Paul had 10 points and four dimes in the intermission, but he put that game aside in the second half.

His efforts include a three-point shot on Nicolas Batum:

Those three were part of a personal 8-0 streak that turned an 89-82 lead into a 97-82 lead, and from there Phoenix didn’t look back.

Any hope the Clippers had in the fourth quarter was quickly extinguished by Paul, who scored another 19 points in the final quarter. He also ended up scoring 14 points for Phoenix in a 16-3 streak that ended with the Suns leading 105-85.

A fast baseline jumper gave him 28 for the game:

Soon after, Paul converted to a four-point game to put this one aside for good:

Paul kept rolling though, knocking those three points over Morris and eventually finishing with 31 points in the second half.

StatMuse gave another glimpse of Paul’s Night:

ESPN Stats & Info noted her special accomplishment in light of her 36th birthday.

Paul was nothing short of sensational, and Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant noted how easy everything seemed to the greats of all time:

Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated also said Paul played the “greatest Hall of Fame game of his career.”

It’s a tough statement to argue, and because of it, Paul and the Suns have qualified for the championship.

The valiant effort of the Clippers without Leonard falls short

It’s not easy to replace a player who averages 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game, let alone a playoff player like the double MVP. of the NBA Finals at Leonard.

However, that’s what the Clippers have been charged with this series as Leonard was sidelined with a right knee injury.

To the Clippers’ credit, they didn’t go away quietly after Leonard finished for the season following Game 4 of their Western Conference second-round playoff series with the Utah Jazz.

LA beat the seeded Jazz in their next two games without Leonard to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

After a narrow 120-114 loss in Game 1, the Clips nearly knocked out Phoenix in their own arena in Game 2 before Ayton’s winning alley-oop dunk gave the Suns the 104-103 victory.

LA went on to win Game 3, 106-92 as George (27 points, 15 rebounds) and Ivica Zubac (15 points, 16 rebounds) guided the Clippers.

The Clips never led in Game 4 and trailed until 16, but they fought back and reduced the Suns’ lead to 79-78 before ultimately falling 84-80.

Game 5 was all about clips, with George’s 41 points pushing the Clippers to their second 14-point win in this series, this time by a score of 116-102.

Game 6 was the Suns’ first real blowout of this series, as Paul forced the Clippers to wave the white flag early. No one was stopping Paul and Phoenix that night as the Scorching Suns crept into the championship round.

In the end, the best team won and are heading to the NBA Finals, but the fact that the Clippers have come as far as they did in the playoffs without their top player is still an impressive accomplishment.

And after?

The Phoenix Suns will face the Milwaukee Bucks or the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Finals. The Bucks and Hawks are tied at two games apiece in their Eastern Conference Finals.

The Suns will have home court advantage in the NBA Finals against either team.