San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama charged at Ivica Zubac after Zubac knocked him down in the paint and received no call from officials. Wembanyama explained after the game that his frustrations were not specific to his Clippers opponent, arguing that referees have not been giving him a fair whistle early in his NBA career.

“So it’s a hard thing to fight, because it feels unfair sometimes,” Wembanyama said. “But of course, we talk about it with the staff and there is some stuff I have to do to help myself. First of all, being strong and not bailing out shots, but also there is some work to do. Talking to the refs, of course, explaining myself. But for me, it doesn’t feel like it’s something I should influence. I’m a basketball player, I’m here to play, and yeah, this is why it’s frustrating. It’s not my job to do politics.”

The incident between Wembanyama and Zubac occurred late in the third quarter when Zubac arrived in the paint late as Spurs forward Harrison Barnes drained a three-pointer. The Clippers center, who expressed his frustration with referees several times earlier in the game, hip-checked and elbowed Wembanyama with a running start, sending him flying out of bounds. 

Wembanyama charged at Zubac as soon as he got up, requiring Spurs assistants to leave the timeout huddle and hold him back. The Clippers went on to win 128-116. Zubac scored 21 points and earned 22 rebounds, while Wembanyama finished with 23 and 12.

There are several factors leading to more physical play against San Antonio’s second-year star. Wembanyama is a massive presence in the paint, naturally marking him as a clear target in a crowded space on the floor. He is also a focal point on an otherwise middling offense, forcing opposing teams to key in on him. His skinny frame and relative inexperience have led some of these teams to try rougher tactics.

Playing physical defense against big men isn’t a novel concept in the NBA; stars who make their names in the paint always have to deal with elbows and bumps and frustrating no-calls, especially early in their careers. Wembanyama is more than a post-up scorer, considered by some to be the most well-rounded prospect in NBA history. His path to superstardom remains the same, however.

The Western Conference finals will see Game 6! Paul George scored a playoff career-high 41 points to help the Los Angeles Clippers stave off elimination in Phoenix on Monday night. Game 6 will now shift back to Los Angeles on Wednesday.

After the thrilling game, George was asked if he’s picked on more than other stars across the NBA. “I do,” George answered. “And it’s the honest truth. It’s a fact. But I can’t worry about that. It comes with the job, I guess… I still try to go and dominate… And so I’m beyond that, you know what I mean. I am who I am. I wish I could shoot 80%, 75%, on a nightly basis, but it’s not realistic. What I can do is do everything else,” he added. “They can judge me on what they want to. That part don’t matter to me. I’m going to go out there and hoop and give it everything I got.”

The Clippers showed true grit and determination during this Game 5 victory. They were already down star forward Kawhi Leonard (sprained right knee), and they had just learned they’d be without starting center Ivica Zubac (sprained right MCL). Most teams would fold under this immense pressure, but not the Clippers. In Zubac’s place, Marcus Morris Sr. started at center and had his best game of the series, hitting his first six shots and scoring 13 of his 22 points in the first quarter. The Clippers jumped out to a 20-5 lead in the opening minutes. That allowed George to feel his way into the game, according to coach Tyronn Lue.

Teammate Demarcus Cousins was also quick to give his props to George after the game. “I don’t know where this trolling bulls— has come from where the internet controls the narratives about these players,” he said. “It’s becoming foolish, man. Like I said earlier in the year, [George is] one of the most special players to ever lace his shoes up. Give this dude his flowers, man. I don’t understand the slander. It’s becoming quite silly now. Respect these players, man. Respect these greats.”

Cousins is completely on point about hyping up his teammate. George shot an unbelievable 10-of-14 on contested shots. He did a lot of his damage on pull-ups, going 7-for-10 on those shots, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. And he scored on seven different primary Suns defenders. “If they were going to finish this series off, they were going to have to work for it,” George said. “That was just the mentality we came into this with. We weren’t going to back down. We weren’t going to just throw in the towel. The fact of the matter is, they got to beat us.”

Paul George was a prominent reason the Clippers fell in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, missing critical free throws late in the final frame of play. However, he avenged his poor performance down the stretch with a masterful output in Game 3, cutting the series lead for the Suns in half.

George rebounded by notching 27 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists. That effort propelled the Clippers to a 106-92 victory, a win that was effectively necessary to keep their season alive. The win marked the first time the Clippers had ever won a game in the Western Conference Final.

Despite missing superstar Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers received deeply-needed production from Reggie Jackson, lockdown defense from Patrick Beverley and a vacuum on the glass through the long reach of Ivica Zubac.

It didn’t help the Suns that Devin Booker shot just 5 for 21 on the night, a shooter that is typically prolific with the ball. Add that onto solid performances, and the red-hot hand of Clippers reserve Terance Mann, and the fate of Game 3 was essentially sealed.

The Clippers are the first team in history to overcome multiple 2-0 game deficits to win a series in one playoff run, and head coach Tyronn Lue will look to recreate that magic in Game 4. Lue was candid about how he sees winning games. “Whatever it takes, doesn’t matter to me,” he said.

Part of the Clippers’ success in Game 4 will depend on whether they can match the aggressive pace with which Phoenix plays. George was not blind to this fact. “We can’t allow [Phoenix] to play harder than us, and I thought that was just the way we approached tonight,” George said.

Game 4 will tip off in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The Phoenix Suns pulled off one of the most memorable plays in NBA Playoffs history. It was perhaps the most clutch play in the history of the franchise considering the Suns have never won an NBA championship.

The Suns were down with 0.9 seconds left in Tuesday’s Game 2 against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers were up 103-102, and with barely any time left, and the Suns needed a quick play to steal the game. Phoenix head coach Monty Williams huddled his team during a timeout and devised a plan to win the game. The plan was for Jae Crowder to inbound an alley-oop pass to Deandre Ayton.

Once the timeout ended, it was time to put the plan into motion. As Crowder inbounded the pass, Devin Booker provided a key screen for Ayton, allowing the big man to get open and stuff the ball over Clippers’ center Ivica Zubac for the buzzer-beater victory. The play was beautifully executed to the Phoenix fans’ delight, as the Suns now lead the series 2-0.

“The celebration and reaction were a little shaky,” Ayton said. “Because I wasn’t sure what I did. I wasn’t sure if it counted.”

Suns point guard Chris Paul (currently sidelined due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols) complimented the play on Twitter. “Big time play call, Coach Mont,” Paul said.

The alley-oop game-winner ended a Clippers rally that was led by Paul George, who finished with 26 points. George made a layup with 31 seconds left to give the Clippers a 101-100 lead. On their next offensive possession, he converted a 22-footer to put Los Angeles up 103-102.

While they were up, George had an opportunity to increase the Clippers’ lead when he was sent to the free-throw line. George, who is an 85% free throw shooter, missed both free throws with 8.2 seconds left in the game. This gave the Suns hope, and they executed flawlessly down the stretch.

“Obviously, it was an opportunity that was missed,” George said after the game. “Pat [Beverly] made an unbelievable play that put me in the position to extend the lead. I am always confident at the free-throw line. I have always been very successful in clutch moments at the free-throw line. Tonight, I was just unsuccessful.”

The Suns were led by Cameron Payne, who finished with a career-high 29 points and nine assists. Ayton added 24 points and 14 rebounds, while Booker had 20 points.

“We just had no answer for Cameron Payne,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said. “He got downhill all night. His speed and his quickness really hurt us all night.”

Phoenix has won a franchise-record nine straight playoff games. Meanwhile, the Clippers are in a 2-0 hole for the third time in the playoffs. Los Angeles is still confident because they have come back from this deficit before. After losing the first two games in the first round against the Mavericks, the Clippers finished Dallas off in Game 7. In the following round, Los Angeles won four straight games against the top-seeded Jazz after losing the first two games on the road.

Phoenix did what they were supposed to by holding home-court advantage. The series heads to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday night. Without Kawhi Leonard, who is still out due to injury, the Clippers have an incredibly tough task ahead of them. However, it would be foolish to count them out after what they accomplished in the first two rounds of the postseason.