Phoenix Suns: Game 3 Keys to Victory vs Clippers

The Phoenix Suns have a great opportunity on their hands.

It's been just a few hours since the Los Angeles Clippers ruled out Kawhi Leonard with a sprained knee for Game 3 tonight. While his status for Game 4 is still up in the air, there's no doubting the tide now shifts in favor of Phoenix.

The Suns hope to take a crucial 2-1 advantage in their first-round series, a dynamic that historically favors the winner of Game 3. According to Land of Basketball, teams who take a 2-1 advantage win the series nearly 80% of the time.

Though Phoenix hasn't exactly looked like the championship caliber team many thought they would, there's still plenty of time and room to advance to the second round for a third consecutive postseason.

Here's what needs to happen tonight in order to ensure they can put pressure on Los Angeles heading into Game 4:

Start The Track Meet

The Clippers will now be without Paul George and Leonard tonight, two of their top players. While George hasn't played all series, Leonard led the Clippers in scoring in both Game 1 and Game 2 with over 30 points in each contest.

It's unknown how Clippers head coach Ty Lue will attack the lineup with Leonard out of the picture. If you're the Suns - however - your starting lineup needs to turn this game into a track meet.

The scoring capabilities are endless for Phoenix thanks to Kevin Durant and Devin Booker spacing the floor incredibly. While those two normally get their own each and every night, that's also opened opportunities for Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. Even fifth starter Torrey Craig has scored 22 and 17 points to begin the series.

Now, the Clippers are without their best scorer and best defender. There's no reason Phoenix's starting lineup shouldn't be scoring at will and ensuring the scoreboard operator stays busy.

The Suns should try their best to push the pace and challenge the Clippers to outgun them from the jump. If they can't look good offensively against LA without Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, there's some serious issues.

Somebody, Anybody Bring the Juice Off the Bench

The Suns have received poor production from the bench in Games 1/2, receiving just 23 points in both meetings combined.

Phoenix could potentially get Cameron Payne back in the mix tonight after being out with lower back soreness to begin the series, and his energy/tempo and ability to run the offense could be the spark plug the Suns need when the starters need a break.

Landry Shamet has done a poor job with his opportunities and none of the other bench players have really been able to produce enough offensively to match the Clippers' second unit.

Especially with Leonard out and the Clippers having to jumble their game plan, the Suns need a strong performance from their rotation now more than ever to make this a well-rounded victory.

Don't Get Bored of Boards

After Game 2, Suns coach Monty Williams spoke on what made the difference for his team: Rebounds.

“I think again, anytime we rebound the ball like we rebounded tonight - everyone who won the rebound battle has won the game. When we rebound like that, we can get it to either one of those guys and now as I have said before, our best offense is a defensive stop," he said.

It's not a foreign concept for basketball lovers: Dominate the paint and you'll typically find more possessions and second-chance opportunities, two factors that translate well in the business of winning.

The Suns have shown they can score and put up points with the best of them, but will they dig deep and do the needed dirty work down low to win?