How Suns Overcame Clippers to Establish 3-1 Series Lead

The Phoenix Suns continue to find their form at the right time. Now winners of their last three games against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Suns hold a 3-1 series lead with a chance to put their first-round series to rest on Tuesday in a Game 5 featured back in Phoenix.

In their 112-100 loss, the Clippers were again able to put up a tough fight after not having superstars Paul George or Kawhi Leonard in action. Russell Westbrook paved the way with 37 points of his own, but the Suns were simply too much for Los Angeles to handle.

Here's how Phoenix took control of the series in their Game 4 win:

Chris Paul Turns Back the Clock

Chris Paul is not the scorer that Kevin Durant or Devin Booker provide themselves to be, yet he come through clutch with 19 points - 12 of which came in the fourth quarter.

Paul was also crucial in facilitating Phoenix's offense through the afternoon, finishing with a plus/minus of +22 (the highest of any player today). Paul played 38 minutes and though he got off to a shaky start shooting, he came through when it mattered most and was mostly responsible for keeping the Clippers at a distance from the lead when time was ticking down.

Winning the Battle of the Boards

The Suns were able to outrebound the Clippers 49-33 in Game 4. Los Angeles head coach Ty Lue often opts to run a small-ball lineup on the floor without Leonard available, which puts even more of an emphasis on guys like Deandre Ayton to ensure each available ball lands in his hands.

Ayton himself had a nice double-double that featured 15 points and 13 rebounds, something Suns coach Monty Williams wanted to see against the small-ball Clippers when talking with reporters prior to the game.

"I mean that’s something that I don’t feel like we took advantage of, of the way that we could have in those moments," he said. "And then defensively we do feel like he and Bis [Bismack Biyombo] can guard better than most bigs in those situations. So, it is something we’ve talked about the last couple of days, even watching it this morning. It’s something that we have to increasingly grow in those environments and not allow that change in defense to slow us down."

The Suns claimed 14 offensive rebounds to LA's nine.

Being physical down low also can benefit Phoenix in their hopes of getting to the free throw line, something that again happened today with the Suns shooting 27 free throws - the Clippers shot just ten.

Feeding the Fiery Dynamic Duo

When the Suns first acquired Kevin Durant, there was obvious excitement (and expectations) on what the potential duo of he and Devin Booker could accomplish.

It feels like with each game in this series, the Suns have grown and slowly but surely found their identity on the court with the two star scorers next to each other.

There's been times where Durant has taken over games himself while Booker asserted his offensive prowess on his own, yet Game 4 saw the duo take turns feeding each other and allowing the flow of the game to dictate who did what rather than force shots.

Durant (31 points in 45 minutes) and Booker (30 points in 41 minutes) not only helped each other but also set other teammates up for success, whether it was through rebounds or assists.

The power of the Booker/Durant duo only seems to grow with each minute they spend on the court together, which not only benefits them but also the entirety of the team as well.