Phoenix Suns Even Series With Game 2 Win Over Los Angeles Clippers

The Suns got particularly hot late when the Clippers threatened to creep back into the game. With three minutes left and the Clippers within 6, Paul took a guarded midrange fadeaway with plenty of time on the shot clock. It didn’t look like the kind of shot Coach Monty Williams or the home fans might have chosen, but it was the kind of night where that shot went in.

The Suns are a team in particular need of a championship. The franchise joined the N.B.A. in the 1968-69 season and has made it to the finals three times: in 1976 with Paul Westphal and Alvan Adams, in 1993 with Charles Barkley, and two seasons ago with Booker and Paul. But Phoenix lost all three times it played for the title.

To take the next step, the team added Durant, and the move looked to be working as the Suns were 8-0 when he played in the regular season (he missed 18 other games, mostly because of an ankle injury). The Suns, though only a four seed, became a hot pick to win the title, and they remain the third favorite among most oddsmakers, behind only the Celtics and the Bucks of the East.

But after losing Game 1 against the Clippers at home, Game 2 became effectively a must win. Even now, the best-of-seven series is tied and heading to Los Angeles.