The Daily Sweat: Can Phoenix Suns avoid 0-2 series hole vs. Los Angeles Clippers?
The Phoenix Suns are one of the betting favorites to win the NBA title but are in danger of falling in an 0-2 hole in their first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Suns, now with Kevin Durant teaming up with Devin Booker and Chris Paul, were 7.5-point favorites in Game 1 on Sunday but ended up losing 115-110 at home. The Suns fell behind by double digits early but stormed back to take a nine-point lead in the third quarter. But Kawhi Leonard willed the Clippers back and led them to an upset victory with a terrific 38-point performance.
The Suns lost in the NBA Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks back in 2021 before falling in the Western Conference semifinals to the Dallas Mavericks last year. They have championship aspirations this time around, but need a big bounce-back effort in Game 2.
How will the Suns respond Tuesday night? Oddsmakers seem confident that they will bounce back. The Suns are favored by 8.5 points at BetMGM with the total listed at 225.5.
Finding a way to contain Leonard will obviously be a priority for the Suns, but limiting second-chance opportunities and getting a scoring boost from the supporting cast will also be key. The Clippers had 15 offensive rebounds in Game 1, several of which led to kick-out 3-pointers at key moments. Additionally, the Clippers’ bench out-scored the Suns bench 34-10.
The Suns are -200 to win the series and still near the top of the odds board to win the championship. The top two seeds in the Eastern Conference — the Boston Celtics (+300) and Bucks (+375) — are the only two teams with better odds than the Suns (+550).
Those odds will change dramatically if they drop another home game.
Two other NBA playoff games
The Suns weren’t the only series favorites to drop Game 1 on their home floor. In the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost 101-97 to the New York Knicks.
Jalen Brunson scored 21 second-half points to lead the Knicks to victory. But the Knicks also got a big boost off the bench from Josh Hart, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench. Hart also suffered a sprained ankle in the win, and is listed as doubtful to suit up for Game 2.
The Cavs are favored by 6.5 points at BetMGM as they look to avoid falling behind 0-2 ahead of their visit to Madison Square Garden later this week.
Elsewhere in the East, the Celtics are big favorites in Game 2 vs. the Atlanta Hawks. In Game 1, the Celtics jumped out to a 30-point halftime lead and ended up winning, 112-99. The Celtics are 10.5-point favorites in this one.
Four more NHL playoff series begin
The NHL playoffs began on Monday and four more series will be underway on Tuesday.
In the East, the New Jersey Devils are -130 favorites over the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs are -155 favorites over the Tampa Bay Lightning. While the Lightning have won two of the last three Stanley Cups, Toronto hasn’t won a playoff series since 2004. The Leafs will want to start the series on a high note.
In the West, the Vegas Golden Knights are -150 favorites over the Winnipeg Jets and the Colorado Avalanche, the defending Cup champions, are -200 favorites over the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken, an expansion franchise in just their second year of operations, are making their NHL postseason debut on Tuesday night.
Busy day in MLB
There were a few games postponed in baseball on Monday, making Tuesday a bit busier than usual with two double-headers included in the action.
The Cleveland Guardians have a double-header with the Detroit Tigers while the Philadelphia Phillies will play two in Chicago vs. the White Sox.
