LA Clippers destroyed the Phoenix Suns in the paint

One of the biggest advantages the Suns have had all series long was their productivity scoring in the paint, as they outscored Los Angeles by 58 points in the paint heading into Game 5. However, the Clippers flipped the script in this game and they outscored the Suns 58-32 in the paint without Ivica Zubac! 

Serge Ibaka has been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a back injury and Ivica Zubac sat out of Game 5 because of a sprained MCL in his right knee, yet the Clippers still dominated the paint against the Phoenix Suns. This is absolutely crazy to think about and was a big reason why they were able to keep their season alive. 

Time and time again, the Clippers attacked the Suns’ defense and early on, they looked to target Devin Booker in the low-post. Most of the time in the first and second quarters, the Clippers ran a high pick-and-roll set to switch Booker onto Marcus Morris and they let this size differential play out to their advantage. 

Morris finished the first-half with 20 points as a result of getting to his spots, but another big reason why the Clippers dominated the paint was because Reggie Jackson and Paul George attacked the paint. 

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These two alone contributed to 26 of the Clippers 58 total points in the paint and were able to score in big moments of the game when it looked like the Suns were regaining some momentum. With a “small-ball” approach, the Clippers made all of the right adjustments on offense in Game 5 and taking advantage of the paint was a welcoming sight for them as they look to get back in this series.