PREMIUM
Stephen Nover's NBA Top Ticket Total
(NBA) Phoenix vs. LA Clippers,
Total: 219.00 | -110.00 Under
Result: Win
Total: 219.00 | -110.00 Under
Result: Win
The question isn't if the Suns and Clippers are good enough defensively to get Under this total. They are. The Clippers ranked fourth in the NBA defensively, while the Suns were seventh.
The important question is can defense prevail here in this Game 4?
I saw enough in the Clippers' 106-92 Game 3 win two days ago to emphatically say Yes. Circumstances, injuries, coaching adjustments and playoff intensity are the right brew for this matchup to go Under again.
Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Cameron Payne are the three most important players in regards to the total. There are strong factors working against all three of them.
The 36-year-old Paul was in home isolation doing no activities for eight days due to COVID-19 protocols. He got back into action in Game 3 and predictably was rusty making just 5-of-19 shots from the floor. The Clippers have the athletic and big wing players to effectively cover Paul and they did an excellent job. Monty Williams foolishly played Paul 39 minutes in an obvious lost-cause game.
It remains to be seen if Paul will play better, but at his advanced age and given his fatigue situation he's certainly not going to set a fast pace. The Suns would be more up-tempo if backup point guard Payne were healthy. He's not, though. He's questionable with an ankle sprain. Even if he plays, he won't be 100 percent. Booker is playing with a bothersome plastic face guard after suffering a broken nose in Game 2. Booker lit up the Clippers in Game 1, but in the last two games he's shot just 10-for-37 from the field for 27 percent.
The Suns aren't playing the defensively-challenged Nuggets here. Even minus Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers are far superior defensively to the Nuggets. They've held Phoenix to an average of 98 points the past two games. The Under has cashed seven of the last nine times the teams have met in LA.
Phoenix is going to have to try to win this game with a hard-nosed defensive effort, sacrificing its dwindling offense. The Suns have given up fewer than 107 points in eight of their past 10 games. The Clippers only have one reliable scorer, Paul George, with Leonard out.
The important question is can defense prevail here in this Game 4?
I saw enough in the Clippers' 106-92 Game 3 win two days ago to emphatically say Yes. Circumstances, injuries, coaching adjustments and playoff intensity are the right brew for this matchup to go Under again.
Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Cameron Payne are the three most important players in regards to the total. There are strong factors working against all three of them.
The 36-year-old Paul was in home isolation doing no activities for eight days due to COVID-19 protocols. He got back into action in Game 3 and predictably was rusty making just 5-of-19 shots from the floor. The Clippers have the athletic and big wing players to effectively cover Paul and they did an excellent job. Monty Williams foolishly played Paul 39 minutes in an obvious lost-cause game.
It remains to be seen if Paul will play better, but at his advanced age and given his fatigue situation he's certainly not going to set a fast pace. The Suns would be more up-tempo if backup point guard Payne were healthy. He's not, though. He's questionable with an ankle sprain. Even if he plays, he won't be 100 percent. Booker is playing with a bothersome plastic face guard after suffering a broken nose in Game 2. Booker lit up the Clippers in Game 1, but in the last two games he's shot just 10-for-37 from the field for 27 percent.
The Suns aren't playing the defensively-challenged Nuggets here. Even minus Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers are far superior defensively to the Nuggets. They've held Phoenix to an average of 98 points the past two games. The Under has cashed seven of the last nine times the teams have met in LA.
Phoenix is going to have to try to win this game with a hard-nosed defensive effort, sacrificing its dwindling offense. The Suns have given up fewer than 107 points in eight of their past 10 games. The Clippers only have one reliable scorer, Paul George, with Leonard out.
