How To Watch NBA Playoffs First-Round: Suns at Clippers Game 3
The 2022-23 NBA regular season has come to an end and with the Play-In Tournament coming to an end, it is officially time for the playoffs to begin!
On Monday night, the first-round series between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers will continue, as the two teams will meet in Los Angeles for Game 3.
After surprising many and winning Game 1 at home, the Clippers were unable to pull off yet another road victory in Game 2, as the Suns prevailed 123-109.
With the series all knotted up at a game apiece, the Clippers did their job to take home-court advantage in this series. Now, all eyes will be on Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and the Suns to see if they can strike in hostile territory.
Durant and Booker have been great so far in this series, but the storyline for Phoenix is whether or not they can limit Kawhi Leonard on the offensive-end of the floor and force someone else to beat them. So far, Kawhi has scored 69 total points through the first two games and he is shooting 54.5 percent from the floor.
For the Clippers, the key to them winning this series and possibly taking a 2-1 advantage will be simply winning the fourth quarter and locking in defensively. As easy as that may sound, Los Angeles is staring at two of the most elite scorers in the league on the other side of the floor, along with Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton.
There is nothing easy about stopping the Suns’ high-powered offense, which is why they will really have to dig deep to take a lead in the series once again.
Will the Suns regain home-court advantage with a win in Game 3 or will the Clippers win to take a 2-1 series lead in front of their fans?
Here's how to watch Thursday’s game, with game time and TV, lineups, bios and other must-know details.
How to watch Suns vs. Clippers
WHO: Phoenix Suns (1-1) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (1-1)
WHAT: 2023 NBA Western Conference Playoffs: First-Round, Game 3
WHEN: 10:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, April 20
WHERE: crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
TV: NBATV
Key Stats & Facts For Suns vs. Clippers
- The Clippers and Suns faced off four times during the regular season with both teams winning two games on the road.
- The Suns finished the regular season ranking 14th in offensive rating and 7th in defensive rating, while the Clippers finished the regular season ranking 16th in offensive rating and 18th in defensive rating.
- Los Angeles is 23-18 at home this season and Phoenix is 17-24 on the road, including the postseason.
What Happened In Game 2?
April 18, 2023 - Suns 123, Clippers 109
Behind 38 points from Devin Booker and 25 points from Kevin Durant, the Suns were able to come back from a Game 1 loss and defeat the Clippers convincingly in Game 2 in Phoenix. Perhaps the unspoken hero of the Suns in this game though was Torrey Craig, who gave the Suns 17 points on 5-8 shooting from three-point range. Craig also helped make a difference in the game on the defensive-end of the floor. As a team, Phoenix shot 58.8 percent from the floor and they outrebounded the Clippers 35-32. Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook combined for 59 points in the loss, but the rest of the team shot just 15-44 from the floor, just 34.1 percent.
Latest Injury News:
Suns Injuries: Cameron Payne (back) - Questionable
Clippers Injuries: Paul George (knee) - Out
Projected Starters:
PROJECTED SUNS STARTERS:
- G Chris Paul, 6-0 guard: 13.9 points, 8.9 assists (2022-23 season stats)
- G Devin Booker, 6-5 guard: 27.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists
- F Torrey Craig, 6-7 forward, 6-7 forward: 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds
- F Kevin Durant, 6-10 forward: 26.0 points, 6.4 rebounds
- C Deandre Ayton, 6-11 center: 18.0 points, 12.0 rebounds
PROJECTED CLIPPERS STARTERS:
- G Russell Westbrook, 6-3 guard: 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists
- G Eric Gordon, 6-3 guard: 11.0 points, 1.7 rebounds
- F Kawhi Leonard, 6-7 forward: 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds
- F Nicolas Batum, 6-8 forward: 6.1 points, 3.8 rebounds
- C Ivica Zubac, 7-0 center: 10.8 points, 9.9 rebounds
Betting Odds:
- The Suns are currently 2.5-point favorites over the Clippers as of Thursday morning, according to SI Sportsbook.
- The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 226.5 total points.
What to watch for:
- The Phoenix Suns are back in the playoffs for the third consecutive season after making the NBA Finals in 2021.
- The Los Angeles Clippers are back in the playoffs after missing the postseason a year ago.
- Phoenix is 39-17 this season when they score at least 110 points. Los Angeles is 36-14 this season when they score at least 110 points, including the postseason.
- The Suns and Clippers have played a total of 15 playoff games and two playoff series all-time. Phoenix is 9-6 against Los Angeles in the postseason and they are 2-0 against the Clippers in playoff series.
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.
