The 2021 Western Conference Finals is about to kick off this Sunday, with the LA Clippers and the Phoenix Suns locking horns down the desert. Who will draw first blood? Check out our preview of Game 1 of Clippers vs. Suns below.
The Clippers survived the Utah Jazz in the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs despite being down 0-2 after the first two games of the series and losing Kawhi Leonard for the final two games. Leonard will remain out for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals due to a knee injury, so the Clippers will once again look to Paul George for leadership on the floor. George is averaging 26.1 points on 45.1 percent shooting from the floor, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game in the playoffs. After Terance Mann’s 39-point explosion in the Clippers’ 131-119 win in the series-clinching win over the Jazz, the hope for LA is that he will continue providing excellent support for George along with the likes of Reggie Jackson, Nicolas Batum, and Marcus Morris Sr. The Clippers are 4-0 against the spread in their last 4 games overall. The over is 5-1 in the Clippers’ last 6 playoff games as an underdog.
The Suns will also be missing their best player in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. That’s after Chris Paul has been ruled out for Sunday’s contest because of health and safety protocols reasons. With the Point God missing the series opener, the Suns will look for Cameron Payne to help fill the void in the backcourt for the Suns. Payne’s not going to completely do all the things Paul does for Phoenix, but he’s been pretty decent in the playoffs. Payne aside, the Suns still have the pair of Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton to pose lots of problems for the Sixers. Ayton, in particular, will be a matchup problem for the Clippers, who doesn’t seem to have someone capable of shutting down the big Suns’ big man. Ayton played fantastic in his matchups against Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round and Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the second. The Suns are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The under is 4-1 in the Suns’ last 5 games as a home favorite.
