Ayton’s double-double not enough as Suns fall

Bahamian DeAndre Ayton’s 10 points and 11 rebounds were not enough as the Phoenix Suns saw their five-game home winning streak this postseason snapped when the Los Angeles Clippers survived another day with an 116-102 victory in game five of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Western Conference Finals. That game was played at the Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, on Monday night, and pulled the Clippers to within 3-2 in the series.

The last time the Suns lost on their home floor was in game two of the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers, back on May 25.

The double-double was Ayton’s 10th of these playoffs in 15 games. His 11 rebounds was a team-high. The big man was able to finish the night shooting 5-for-9 from the field, 55.6 percent. He has not shot under 50 percent in any of the 15 games in his first postseason. Ayton also had a steal and a block.

There was some hope for the home team when Chris Paul made a shot that gave them their first and only lead of the game at the 8:27 mark of the third quarter, but the Clippers soon responded. The Suns led 62-61 at that point but the Clippers surged back in front and began to pull away. They held a comfortable 91-78 lead at the end of the third quarter. Fatigue appeared to set in for the Suns in the fourth quarter and it was tough for them to stage a comeback. They pulled within four points midway through the fourth quarter, but a focused Clippers team responded again, increasing the lead to double digits. They continued to hold the Suns at bay and forced a game six.

Devin Booker scored a team-high 31 points in 43 minutes of play for the Suns. Leading all scorers was the Clippers’ Paul George with 41 points.

The Suns had a rough start in what they had hoped would be a closeout game for them. The Clippers used a small-ball line-up, and jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead at the 10:32 mark of the first quarter. The Suns missed all four of their shot attempts in that span before Devin Booker cut into the Clippers’ lead when he connected on a three-point shot at the 10:12 mark. The Clippers led 7-3 at that point.

Poor shooting by the Suns enabled the Clippers to lead by as much as 15 points in the opening quarter, taking a 20-5 lead with 5:58 left. The closest the Suns came to the Clippers for the remainder of that quarter was four points when Cameron Payne scored off an Ayton steal to pull them to within 25-21 with 3:12 remaining.

After 12 minutes, the Clippers led 36-26, shooting 65.2 percent from the field. The Suns shot 40.9 percent from the field. The Bahamian finished with two points in that quarter and was unable to grab a rebound.

The third-year center picked it up in the second quarter as he went 2-for-3 from the field and finished with four points and four rebounds in the first half. His first basket of the second quarter came at the 8:16 mark when he tipped in his own miss to bring his team to within seven points, 44-37. It was a part of a 12-2 scoring run by the Suns as they cut the Clippers’ lead to two points with 7:18 remaining, 44-42.

Ayton’s second basket of the second quarter came on a turnaround jump shot with 3:11 remaining with the scoreboard showing 52-49 in favor of the visitors. At the end of the first half, the Clippers led 59-52.

The first quarter hole that the Suns put themselves in proved to be a tough one for them to dig themselves out of.

The Clippers shot 54.8 percent from the field in the game while the Suns shot 45.2 percent.

Although Ayton and his team were unable to close out the series at home on Monday night, they will have another chance to do so on the road tonight. This game will be played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, and will get underway at 9 o’ clock on ESPN.

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