The Phoenix Suns may finally see the return of their star point guard Chris Paul, as he has been listed as probable for Game 3 against the LA Clippers. Meanwhile, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out for Thursday’s game in L.A.
“[Kawhi] hasn’t played since June 14 because of a sprained right knee,” according to ESPN. Paul, who played his last game against the Denver Nuggets as the Suns swept them in the Western Conference semifinals, is very impatient and wants to be on the floor for Game 3.
The Suns’ point guard has been caught up in the NBA’s health and safety protocol and has yet to play against his former team in the L.A. Clippers. Even without Paul, the Suns have continued to win in spectacular fashion with Game 2 coming down to a game-winning alley-oop that some people have named the “Valley-oop”.
On the Clippers’ side of things, they find themselves in another 0-2 hole as they have started every series of the 2021 NBA playoffs being down 0-2.
A large part of the struggles for Los Angeles is the fact that they do not have their franchise player Kawhi Leonard. Leonard has not seen action in the Western Conference Finals due to a knee sprain and he will continue to not see action for Game 3.
Kawhi Leonard ruled out for Game 3
Some Clippers fans may find themselves in panic mode for Game 3 as the team can’t afford to find themselves down 3-0 to this Suns club, who is expected to have another offensive weapon back in Chris Paul.
As for the Phoenix Suns, they may smell blood in the water and push for the sweep in hopes of having plenty of rest for the 2021 NBA Finals. The Suns appearing in the Finals this year would be huge for the team as they’ve shown time and time again they are one of the best teams in the NBA.
They execute in big moments and make the right play almost every time down the court. On top of all of that, they play lockdown defense and grab plenty of rebounds.
A Clippers team without Kawhi Leonard will surely have their work cut out for them as they look to avoid the dreaded 0-3 hole. We will see if the Clippers can make it a series on Thursday night as Game 3 tips off at 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. This is a must-win game for L.A. and their fans will likely show out for the game.