Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul still out for Game 2 clash in West Finals

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns will still be without their respective superstars heading into the second game of the Western Conference Finals.

After squeaking past the Clippers in Game 1, Devin Booker and the Suns are looking to replicate their performance and secure the first two games on their home court without superstar Chris Paul.

The Clippers on the other hand went back to the drawing board after a winnable outing turned to be flat without the close-out prowess of swingman Kawhi Leonard who is nursing a knee sprain.

The Clippers also need to figure out a way to stop a piping hot Booker who killed them in the mid-range and pick-and-rolls after finishing the hard-fought Game 1 with an insane triple-double, 40 points, 11 assists, and 13 rebounds.

Phoenix showed another dimension to their team after proving that they can perform without their court general who is still on the NBA health and safety protocols list due to COVID-19.

Deandre Ayton was a beast on the block and negated the small ball attack the Clippers used against Utah in their last series.

The big man finished with 20 huge points and grabbed nine rebounds while Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges produced their usual numbers of 13 and 14 points, respectively.

Meanwhile, Paul George had another stellar night scoring the basketball with 34 points but needed a little help from the rest as he, Reggie Jackson with 24, and DeMarcus Cousins with 11 were the only members from the team who scored in double figures.

Will Clippers coach Tyronn Lue make the right adjustments or will coach Monty Williams and the Valley boys continue their winning ways?