Suns vs. Clippers: The best player prop bets for Game 3

The Phoenix Suns, last year a win short of making the playoffs, are now just two wins away from their first NBA Finals since 1993.

The Clippers, meanwhile, have their backs up against the wall, looking for lightning to strike not once, not twice, but three times in a single playoff run as they once again attempt to climb out of a 0-2 series deficit. It’s never been done before, but then again, doing it twice in a single postseason was an NBA playoff record.

Chris Paul is set to return in Game 3, and Kawhi Leonard is likely out for the series. The Suns have shown a killer instinct in close-out games until now, but the Clippers aren’t likely to go quietly.

We have the three best player prop bets below for Game 3 tonight.

DEANDRE AYTON OVER/UNDER 15.5 POINTS

Ayton has been a good soldier for most of this playoff run. He does the unglamorous work a lot of the time. He sets screens, he dives, he has the unenviable task of guarding players like Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic in single coverage. And he’s been fabulous, but rarely the hero of the story.

In Game 2 it was Ayton’s time to soak up the spotlight, with what has been dubbed the "Valley Oop," a shot sure to go down in Phoenix Suns’ lore forever.

Ayton dunked the ball off an inbounds pass by Jae Crowder with under a second to go in the game, and thanks to a little-known rule, it does not count as basket interference.

The Suns hit 21 of their 28 in shots in the restricted area, scoring more than 22 points there than the Clippers. That is because the Clips have nobody to cover Deandre Ayton. Ivica Zubac can do everything right, but Ayton just continues to score, because he has incredible feel and outlier touch. Per Elias Sports Bureau he’s currently shooting 72.6% from the field, which is the best mark of all time over a 12-game span in the playoffs in the shot clock era.

There’s no reason to bet against him now.

PICK: OVER 15.5 POINTS (-113)

---

PAUL GEORGE OVER/UNDER 30.5 POINTS

Paul George has taken a lot of heat, sometimes deservedly, these last few years. And seemingly after dubbing himself "Playoff P," a once-strong playoff performer has become best known for disappointing postseason performances. And the trend appeared to continue as the Clippers bungled a great opportunity to even the series against the Suns, including PG13 going 0-2 at the free-throw line in the fading seconds of the game.

You’d be forgiven for not realizing that George was leading the Clippers in points, rebounds, and assists per game in the Utah series even before Kawhi went out with his mysterious knee ailment. The reason the Clippers even had a chance to win Game 2 against Phoenix was because of clutch shot-making by George down the stretch.

It’s the free throws that will stick in the collective imagination, but George has been a star in these playoffs. Prior to rediscovering his 3-point stroke, George had been sustaining himself by getting in the lane and drawing fouls, and he’s clearly developed as a playmaker for others as well. With his outside shot going, it truly becomes a pick-your-poison nightmare as he slithers around picks on and off-ball to attack.

These Clippers have shown remarkable resiliency all playoffs long. I expect George to produce when it matters most.

PICK: OVER 30.5 POINTS (-113)

---

DEVIN BOOKER OVER/UNDER 39.5 POINTS, REBOUNDS, and ASSISTS

Devin Booker was hotter than molten lava in Game 1 and played perhaps the best game of his career - no mean feat for a man who has scored 70 points in an NBA game before. 

But Clippers head coach Ty Lue is always tinkering, always adjusting, and gave Booker a new look in Game 2.

With Kawhi out and Marcus Morris Sr. hobbled, they needed to give more time to Zubac and used drop coverage to great effect against Booker, a noted drop killer. Contrary to popular belief, drop coverage is not a bad option against players capable of pull-up shooting to the degree that Booker is, it merely requires proper personnel.

Playing drop is perceived as a tactic of last resort, for when the big isn’t mobile enough to do anything else. But it is a devastating coverage with the right defensive guards. Enter Patrick Beverley: professional pest. 

Beverley has the mentality, athleticism, and frame that allows him to aggressively get over screens so that Booker couldn’t just freely come off a pick with time to dissect the defense. He felt Beverley on every possession, and it took the shine off Booker’s game. 

Booker finished with seven turnovers and only shot 5-16 from the floor, and a ghastly 2-8 when Patrick Beverley was his primary defender. 

Booker will be better, but Beverley is tailor-made to slow him down.

PICK: UNDER 39.5 POINTS, REBOUNDS, and ASSISTS (-113)