TWO-TENTHS of a second was all the Phoenix Suns needed to pull off an escape Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) in a 104-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers that has them closer to a place they haven’t been in 28 years.
The Suns took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals and need two more victories to get to their first NBA finals since 1993.
Standing in the way is a Los Angeles team that has never been this far in the playoffs but has pulled off consecutive series victories after trailing two games to none. The Clippers will have to overcome the shock of the Game 2 loss to make this a series.
With 0.9 seconds remaining and the Clippers up by one, Jae Crowder delivered an inbound alley-oop pass to Deandre Ayton, who slammed home the game-winner with 0.7 seconds left. The dunk gave the Suns a victory after a back-and-forth final minute full of clutch shots.
“The celebration was a little shaky because I wasn’t too sure what I did,” Ayton said. “I wasn’t sure if it counted, I didn’t want to be a blooper, none of that. I just wanted to get to the next play or for the refs to confirm what it is. I was so anxious. I was so stressed. It was a lot.”
Cameron Payne scored a career-high 29 points for the Suns, and Ayton contributed 24 points and 14 rebounds. Devin Booker scored 20 points, continuing to play after getting his nose bloodied late in the third quarter and receiving stitches.
The Suns increased their playoff winning streak to nine games.
Payne stepped up to make 12 of 24 shots from the field and had nine assists with no turnovers. He was starting at point guard for the second consecutive game with Chris Paul in health and safety protocol after he reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.
“I’m just trying to hold it down,” Payne said. “(Paul) is calling. I probably have a missed call already. (Paul) is calling and that’s what he does. That’s why he is who he is. He’s in constant communication. . . And that’s big time for our team.”
Paul George scored 26 points and Reggie Jackson added 19 for the Clippers. Los Angeles rallied to defeat the Dallas Mavericks in the first round and came back against the top-seeded Utah Jazz in the conference semifinals.
