Deandre Ayton's last-second dunk lifts Suns over Clippers
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[June 23, 2021]
Two-tenths of a second was all
the Phoenix Suns needed to pull off an escape Tuesday in a 104-103
victory over the Los Angeles Clippers that has them closer to a
place they haven't been in 28 years.
The Suns took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals and need
two more victories to get to their first NBA Finals since 1993.
Standing in the way is a Los Angeles team that has never been this
far in the playoffs but has pulled off consecutive series victories
after trailing two games to none. The Clippers will have to overcome
the shock of the Game 2 loss to make this a series.
With 0.9 seconds remaining and the Clippers up by one, Jae Crowder
delivered an inbound alley-oop pass to Deandre Ayton, who slammed
home the game-winner with 0.7 seconds left. The dunk gave the Suns a
victory after a back-and-forth final minute full of clutch shots.
"The celebration was a little shaky because I wasn't too sure what I
did," Ayton said. "I wasn't sure if it counted, I didn't want to be
a blooper, none of that. I just wanted to get to the next play or
for the refs to confirm what it is. I was so anxious. I was so
stressed. It was a lot."
Cameron Payne scored a career-high 29 points for the Suns, and Ayton
contributed 24 points and 14 rebounds. Devin Booker scored 20
points, continuing to play after getting his nose bloodied late in
the third quarter and receiving stitches.
The Suns increased their playoff winning streak to nine games.
Payne stepped up to make 12 of 24 shots from the field and had nine
assists with no turnovers. He was starting at point guard for the
second consecutive game with Chris Paul in health and safety
protocol after he reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.
"I'm just trying to hold it down," Payne said. "(Paul) is calling. I
probably have a missed call already. (Paul) is calling and that's
what he does. That's why he is who he is. He's in constant
communication. ... And that's big time for our team."
Paul George scored 26 points and Reggie Jackson added 19 for the
Clippers. Los Angeles rallied to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in the
first round and came back against the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the
conference semifinals.
George missed a pair of free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining that
gave the Suns a chance to win the game.
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Marcus
Morris Sr. (8) against Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) during
game one of the Western Conference Finals for the 2021 NBA Playoffs
at Phoenix Suns Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY
Sports
"I'm not going to put too much on
that," said George, who was 5 of 10 from the line on the night.
"Obviously that was an opportunity that was missed. I'm always
confident at the free-throw line and have always been very
successful in clutch moments at the free-throw line. Tonight, I was
just not successful. The fact of the matter is we were still in
position to win late in the game."
The Clippers were playing their fourth consecutive playoff game
without forward Kawhi Leonard, who is sidelined due to a sprained
right knee.
Game 3 is set for Thursday night in Los Angeles, where the Clippers
have won their past four after losing their first three home
contests to Dallas.
The Suns and Clippers traded the lead multiple times in the final
minute Tuesday. Los Angeles took a 101-100 advantage with 30.9
seconds remaining on a layup by George that came after Ivica Zubac
blocked Payne's layup attempt. Zubac had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Booker put the Suns back in front 102-101 on a contested jump shot
from the elbow of the key with 27 seconds remaining, but George
answered with an 18-foot jump shot for a 103-102 lead with 22.2
seconds left.
After Beverley forced Booker into a turnover with 9.3 seconds
remaining, George could have given the Clippers a three-point
advantage, but he missed two free throws.
Mikal Bridges missed a 3-point attempt with 3.3 seconds remaining
that would have given the Suns the lead, but the Clippers tipped the
ball out of bounds with under a second left. Crowder then lobbed the
decisive inbound pass to Ayton.
Los Angeles could not get off another shot before the final horn
sounded.
"I thought we played well and we had a chance to win the game,"
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. "They won on a tip-in and now we
have to go home and take care of business. We've been in this
position (down 0-2) before, even though we hate it. But our guys
competed and they made a big play at the end."
--Field Level Media
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