Phoenix Suns: Three Keys to Victory vs Clippers in Round 1

The Phoenix Suns are set to begin their first round series against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday at 5 PM PST.

What will it take for the Suns to win this series against the Clippers and advance to the second round?

Contain Kawhi

With Paul George out for potentially the entirety of the series, Kawhi Leonard will be the focal point for the Clippers’ offense.

It will be crucial for Phoenix to prioritize limiting Leonard’s production, even potentially doubling him at certain points in the game. Leonard is averaging 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

In the past Leonard has proven how lethal he could be in the playoffs as he is currently a two time champion and two time finals MVP. In 2019, Leonard averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists en route to leading the Raptors to their first ever title.

The key will be to force the Clippers supporting cast to beat them. Leonard is capable of not only stealing a game but taking an entire series so locking him down must be a priority.

Get on the same page

It's a little bit alarming that the Suns have only played a total of eight games with Durant in the lineup.

While the team is 8-0 with Durant, the playoffs are a completely different game so Phoenix needs to be able to play as a cohesive unit.

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are primarily iso type players but need to move the basketball around making their offense less predictable which is something they have done a good job of so far in their eight games together.

As the point guard, it's on Chris Paul to get everyone on the same page and be the driving force in running a flued offense. Paul is averaging 8.9 assists this season and Phoenix will need that production against the Clippers.

Hit open shots

It may be obvious but the Suns supporting cast will need to hit their shots at a consistent rate.

Durant and Booker will command the majority of the attention from the Clippers defense opening up shots for the rest of the team.

The main two players who benefit from this are Paul and Deandre Ayton. Both players are very capable of dropping 30 plus points so their performances could make or break the series.

Phoenix also has a ton of spot up shooters in their rotation including Landry Shamet, Terrence Ross and Josh Okogie. If the supporting cast around Durant and Booker are able to rise to the occasion and hit their open shots, Phoenix should have no problem winning this series.