Devin Booker scored 47 points, including 25 in a spectacular third quarter, as he led the Phoenix Suns to a 136-130 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, ending the series in five games.
The Clippers didn’t give up easily, as two plays by Kevin Durant secured the decisive six-point lead with 31.3 seconds left.
KD finished with 31 points, while Deandre Ayton recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds. Booker shot 19-of-27 from the field.
Durant’s final free throws capped off an incredible second-half whirlwind of excitement that saw the Clippers lead 71-61 as the third quarter began. But the Suns, led by Booker’s extraordinary plays, unleashed a devastating offensive wave, 50 points in the third quarter and 111-94 going into the fourth quarter. Booker made 10 of 11 shots in the comeback, including three shots from behind the arc and a dunk on the break.
The Clippers, visibly frustrated, couldn’t find an answer. Norman Powell was Los Angeles’ leading scorer with 27 points, while Mason Plumlee had 20 points off the bench.
It was a tough night for Russell Westbrook, who scored 14 points on 3-of-18 from the field and committed a game-changing turnover in the final minute of the game.
The series took a different turn last week when the Clippers announced that Leonard had injured his right knee. The two-times MVP of the Finals blamed the problem in game-1, definitively stopping after the second challenge.