The 2020-21 NBA Playoffs continue on Wednesday night as Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals is set to begin at 9:00 p.m. EST. The Los Angeles Clippers were facing elimination in Game 5, however, they managed to squeeze out a 116-102 win over the Phoenix Suns. Now, the Clippers will have to stave off elimination once more to force a Game 7.
Here’s a look at the odds for tonight’s NBA action, courtesy of BetOnline.
NBA Odds: Phoenix Suns (No. 2) vs Los Angeles Clippers (No. 4) Game 6
Odds via BetOnline as of Wednesday, June 30
- Series: PHX leads 3-2
- Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
- Moneyline: Suns (-107) vs Clippers (-113)
- Point Spread: Suns: +1.0 (-112), Clippers: -7.0 (-108)
- Total: 215.0 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
Can the Suns Finish the Job Tonight?
The Suns will have another crack at advancing to the NBA Finals tonight but, first, they need to make sure they can close out Game 6. To do that, they’re going to need a lot of things to go right. For starters, Deandre Ayton needs to get back on the score sheet. While he played well earlier in the series, Ayton finished Game 5 with just 10 points on 9 field goal attempts and didn’t even get to try for a free throw. The Suns need their star center to play more aggressively to draw fouls and get those points in the paint while drawing fouls.
Another player who needs to change up their game is Chris Paul. The 10-time All-NBA point guard just can’t seem to hit his 3-pointers as of late. He’s 2-for-16 from beyond the arc over his last four games, which equals a 12.5% success rate. Instead of shooting poorly, Paul should focus on dishing the ball to his teammates if he wants to see his first NBA Finals. Even Devin Booker could change things up. While he had a team-high 31 points in Game 5, he shot 9-for-22 (.409) from the field, which is below his .449 average on the playoffs. Just some all-around tightening up might get the Suns back on track.
Clippers Trying to Survive
After surviving elimination in the NBA Western Conference Finals once, the Clippers will have to do it again on Wednesday. Once again, the team will be without Kawhi Leonard, who’s still dealing with a knee injury. That means that Paul George may need to have to recreate his dominant Game 5 performance. George kept the Clippers’ playoff hopes alive by recording 41 PTS/13 REB/6 AST in the victory.
While it’d be nice for another 40-point game from George, things can go smoother if the Clippers continue to get secondary scoring. A big reason why Los Angeles won Game 5 is that a guy like Marcus Morris showed up and dropped 22 points. Or even Reggie Jackson, who had 23 points. Even Demarcus Cousins had 15 points in just over 11 minutes played while coming off the bench. It’s those secondary players that are keeping the Clippers’ NBA Championship dreams alive.
One area to improve on is 3-point shooting as a team. While the Clippers were one of the best teams from beyond the arc during the regular season, they shot .333 from the 3-point line in Game 5, which includes their entire bench going 0-for-6. If the shooters can wake up in Game 6, the Clippers could have a pretty good shot at forcing Game 7.
