The Phoenix Suns (45-37, No. 4 seed in West) will face the Los Angeles Clippers (44-38, No. 5 seed in West) in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
It is the second time the Suns and Clippers have met in the postseason in the last three years. Phoenix defeated Los Angeles in the 2021 Western Conference Finals in six games, in which the Suns won the first two games before the Clippers forced a Game 6 at home they could not win.
Phoenix advanced to its third-ever NBA Finals that year before it lost to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
The personnel is different for the Suns this time. They traded beloved forwards Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, who were two key pieces in the 2021 playoff run and last year’s 64-win campaign, for superstar forward Kevin Durant, who is the type of player who will greatly improve the Suns’ chances of winning a championship.
The Clippers will not have forward Paul George to begin this series and possibly longer, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. George suffered a right knee sprain in a March 21 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder and has not progressed to contact work, according to Charania.
Los Angeles will still have star forward Kawhi Leonard, who is averaging 23.8 points with 6.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists this season. Leonard had 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting with 15 rebounds and six assists.
The Suns faced the Clippers in the regular-season finale for both teams Sunday. Los Angeles won the game, 119-114, but Phoenix did not have seven rotation players, including starters Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Deandre Ayton.
The Suns’ bench put up a great effort in which they led the game at halftime and even in the fourth quarter, but Leonard and Los Angeles did enough to close the contest in the final minutes.
Odds for the Suns’ and Clippers’ first-round series have been released across various websites. In case you don’t remember, the Suns have the third-best odds to win the NBA title, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Here is what DraftKings has said about the series.
DraftKings
Suns Odds: -600
Clippers Odds: +400
Website Reasoning: The Suns entered this season reeling from a Game 7 loss on their home floor in the West semifinals, determined to make another run at the title. They were in the middle of the pack for most of the year but managed to swing the trade of the year by landing Kevin Durant at the trade deadline. Durant elevates this group to title contender status immediately, and his championship experience will be important for Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton to grow. The Suns are a dangerous group when healthy, but they might have depth issues since their roster is top-heavy with Chris Paul, Durant, Booker and Ayton all commanding big salaries.
The Clippers defeated a backup Suns team in the final game of the regular season to clinch the No. 5 seed and will now have to take on the real roster. Leonard is playing as well as ever, but the real question will be the status of George. He’s still out indefinitely, and the Clippers will need him to be able to take out what many feel is the best team in the Western Conference.
Odds per game: +300 for a 4-game series
+220 for a 5-game series
+260 for a 6-game series
+270 for a 7-game series