Durant's victory over Harden gave the Clippers an eight-point lead over the Suns. Who will come out on top?
Three vs four.
The Clippers, who were beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers, didn't get a respite at all, and they faced the Suns in Phoenix on their home court. The battle between the Clippers and Phoenix is undoubtedly the most watched game of the season, because this time, the Suns Big Three and the Clippers are all on the court. The three Thunder brothers of the year, Durant and Hardenway fought less, which was a rare and wonderful performance. The duel between Durant and Leonard, and the duel between George and Booker, are all wonderful matchups.
The Clippers, who are now ranked fourth in the West, have shown great competitiveness, and their journey to the championship has always revolved around players who are not injured. The Phoenix Suns, on the other hand, are ranked 8th in the East, and these three players are all strong in individual ability, but these three superstars don't have much time to be combined.
Clippers vs Phoenix.
Big four vs. big three, it's an all-star showdown. At the beginning of the first quarter, Harden showed his leadership temperament on the court, he had five assists in a row, and the whole team was connected, George made four of six free throws and cut down three rebounds out of ten, Zubac made four of four free throws and scored eight points, Leonard made three of three free throws and scored seven points, Durant also hit three points, and Wei Shao, who was sitting on the bench, scored seven points and three assists, which looked okay.
Durant had 7 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, Booker had 7 points and 1 assist, and Beal had 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 blocks. In the second quarter, Gordon hit a three-point shot, Harden also responded with a 2+1, and then a three-point shot, and the two were evenly matched. Beal scored on a jumper, Durant also made two free throws, Okogie made a layup, Theis dunked, Durant scored five points in a row, Harden made consecutive layups, Durant scored three points, Leonard also scored three points, Nurkic scored three points, and the Suns have opened up a five-point gap.
George's throw and Mann's three-pointer helped the Clippers stretch the lead to the same level. Booker's three points, George's three points, Mann's three points, Gordon's two free throws, Harden's three points, Harden's three points, Nurkic's two free throws, Harden's two free throws, George's three points, the Clippers' 11 points. Beal scored on a dunk, Powell hit a mid-range shot, and after halftime, Durant scored 71-63 to give the Phoenix Suns eight points, while the Phoenix Suns were 71-63.
Harden and Durant matchup.
Durant had 20 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists on 7-of-11 shooting against the Clippers' Big Four and old comrade-in-arms Harden Will, and his individual performance was perfect, becoming the leading scorer on both teams. Booker shot four of eight and scored nine points for one and one for one, and Beal was also five of ten for 11 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, to be honest, both guys played very well, but for the Suns to win against the Clippers, they had to play better. Nurkic had eight points, one board and two assists, Gordon had seven points, one board and two assists, and Allen had six points, one assist and two points.
Harden found his form, he didn't score any points in the first quarter, and in the second quarter, he scored 15 points and also got 15 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, almost like a star. George finished with 15 points and four rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting; Leonard shot 4-of-6 for 9 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist; Zubac had 10 points, five rebounds and two assists; Mann had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists; The five starters performed well, Powell had 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, and Wei Shao had 7 points and 3 assists, and even off the court, he did not hesitate to cheer up his teammates.