PHOENIX (AP) — Deandre Ayton was the hero as the Phoenix Suns took a two-game-to-none lead in the NBA’s Western Conference Finals.
Ayton jammed an alley-oop pass from Jae Crowder with 0.7 seconds left to give the Suns a 104-103 triumph over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Suns were down one with 0.9 seconds left when Crowder lofted a high pass on an out-of-bounds play on the baseline. After Ayton’s winning slam, the referees spent about a minute reviewing the play before ruling the basket was good.
The Suns were led by Cameron Payne, who was brilliant while subbing for All-Star Chris Paul. He finished with a career-high 29 points, while Ayton accounted for 22 with 14 rebounds. Devin Booker followed his 40-point triple-double in the opener by delivering 20 points.
Paul George had 26 points for the Clippers, including two baskets in the final 31 seconds. George drilled a long two-pointer for a 103-102 lead, but he missed two free throws with eight seconds to play.
Game 3 is Thursday in Los Angeles.
