Here’s The Game Day’s Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Clippers Game 6 Prediction with NBA Western Conference Finals Bet Picks.
The Los Angeles Clippers kept their playoff hopes alive by taking Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Western Conference Finals on the road in Phoenix. Now down 3-2 in the series, they’ll head back to Los Angeles with their backs against the wall once again. Paul George and company will look to force a Game 7 back in the Valley on Friday night.
The 2021 NBA Western Conference Finals Game 6 will start at 9:00 p.m. ET on June 30, airing on ESPN, with the Clippers the favorite by one point.
Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Clippers Game 6 Analysis
Oddly enough, since Chris Paul‘s return from his stint on the COVID-19 list, the Suns have dropped two of the last three games vs. the Clippers and now find themselves up 3-2 having to head back to Los Angeles for Game 6.
After Paul George went cold in Game 4, shooting just 5-of-20 from the floor, he came back in Game 5 with a performance for the ages. He scored 41 points, with 13 rebounds, and six assists, while shooting 75% from the floor. Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris Sr. also came to play in the first elimination game, scoring 23 and 22 points respectively.
Ivica Zubac suffered an MCL sprain in Game 4 and was unable to go in Game 5, giving Terance Mann the start and opening up a few more minutes for Nicolas Batum off the bench.
For the Suns, Devin Booker eclipsed 30 points in Game 5 for the first time since the first game of the series. Despite the loss, Chris Paul looked a bit more fluid and comfortable in Game 5 after shooting a combined 26.8% from the floor in Games 3 and 4.
Deandre Ayton struggled a bit with a smaller Clippers’ frontcourt, going for just 10 points and 11 rebounds and finishing the game with a +/- of -22. Ayton was a -25 in the Suns’ first loss of the series, so he’ll need to improve in Game 6 if the Suns want to close out the Clippers in Los Angeles Wednesday night.
The Clippers’ mentality needs to be one game at a time. Don’t get too comfortable in Game 6 just because you’re playing on your home court. If they can bring the intensity on defense as they have in the last two games, they have a decent chance to force a Game 7 back in Phoenix.
The Suns, much like the Clippers, need to be treating this game like a Game 7. After being up 3 games to 1, the last thing you want is to be faced with a Game 7 where the pressure of losing three straight games to close out the series is weighing on you. Turn up the heat in Los Angeles for Game 6 to avoid that high-pressure Game 7.
Phoenix Suns: Keys To Victory
- Get Devin Booker in a rhythm early.
- Find ways to utilize Deandre Ayton’s size against a smaller frontcourt.
- Control the tempo of the game, and utilize the pick-and-roll with Chris Paul.
- Attack the basket to get to the free-throw line.
Los Angeles Clippers: Keys To Victory
- Find a third scoring option outside of Paul George and Reggie Jackson.
- Take care of the basketball and limit turnovers.
- Focus on ball movement to find open shooters from deep.
- Crash the glass to neutralize Deandre Ayton’s size.
Phoenix Suns vs Los Angeles Clippers Game 6 Prediction
After a lackluster performance in Game 5, the Suns will look to bounce back in Game 6 in order to avoid an elimination Game 7. I fully expect them to come out firing in this one. Look for a much stronger performance out of Deandre Ayton after he was neutralized by the Clippers’ small-ball lineup in Game 5. Monty Williams is one of the better coaches in the league, and I’d expect him to have a game-plan for how to exploit the Clippers without Ivica Zubac.
Vegas expects this game to be close, and so do I. Neither time is going to go down without a fight and both teams’ superstars are hungry to get to the NBA Finals. That being said, I like CP3 and the Suns to win Game 6 and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1993.
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Suns vs Clippers Game 6: Over/Under Bet
Over 214.5 Total Points (-115)
While the Over has only hit twice in five games thus far in the series, I fully expect a close, competitive game with both teams coming out of the gates very aggressively.
Disregarding Game 4 when the two teams combined to score just 164 points, the Suns have won games in this playoffs by playing with pace and scoring in droves. In fact, prior to that game, they were averaging 117.3 points in their last eight playoff victories.
I’ll take the Over with big performances from the Suns’ top-3 players in Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton. The Clippers won’t go down easily, so expect them to keep pace with the Suns throughout this contest.
Suns vs Clippers Game 6: Same-Game Parlay Bet
- Deandre Ayton (Suns): Over 16.5 Points
- Paul George (Clippers): Over 2.5 Three-Pointers Made
- Devin Booker (Suns): Under 4.5 Assists
- SGP (+375)
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Deandre Ayton scored under 16.5 points for the first time in the series in Game 5. In the previous four games, he’s averaged 20.3 points on 14 field goal attempts per contest. He took just nine shots in the Game 5 loss, so the thought process here is that Monty Williams will game plan for Ayton to get more touches and more attempts as the Suns look to capitalize on the smaller Clippers front-court.
Since I think the Suns are going to win tonight in a very competitive contest, it only makes sense to take the over on Paul George’s three-pointers-made prop. In the two games he went under 2.5 this series, the first game he shot 1-of-8 from distance, and the second game the Clippers only scored 80 points as a team and George shot just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. He shoots the deep ball at a 41.1% clip this season and has averaged 9.8 three-point attempts this series. If he makes his average, we’re looking at four three-pointers made tonight. Give me the over on 2.5 three-pointers made in Game 6.
A key to success for the Suns is to get Devin Booker in a rhythm early. That means finding ways to get him open looks. This team operates much more efficiently when Chris Paul is operating as the teams’ primary ball-handler. In the three games since Paul has returned, Booker is averaging just 2.7 assists per game. Of those three games, the only time he went over 4.5 assists was in Game 3 when he shot just 5-of-21 from the floor and started looking to get his teammates more shots. If he gets into a scoring groove in Game 6, I’d expect the under to hit on his assists prop.
Suns vs Clippers Game 6: Moneyline Bet
Phoenix Suns To Win (-110)
It took a Paul George explosion and very strong performances by both Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris Sr. to take down the Suns in Game 5. Expect Monty Williams, runner up for coach of the year, to come prepared with a game plan against the Clippers’ small-ball lineup without Zubac, should he miss another game.
Expect Chris Paul to be a man on a mission in Game 6 as he looks to close out the series against his old team in Los Angeles and reach the Finals for the first time in his 16-year NBA career.
