Despite each team being missing two of its top players, Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Suns and Clippers in Phoenix was a lot of fun to watch. Both Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard were held out of Game 1 due to injuries, with the Clippers forward suffering from a damaged knee and the Suns guard undergoing COVID-19 protocols following a positive test on June 16.
With Game 2 on Tuesday, few expected anything to change on the Leonard and Paul fronts, and we got confirmation of that on Monday when both clubs announced the two superstars were out. In terms of a chronology, Leonard’s ailment is a bit of a mystery, but sprained knees usually entail weeks off, and he’s been out for less than one at this point. Meanwhile, Paul must clear the league’s protocols with negative tests before undergoing the necessary health and conditioning checks to return to the court, and it’s unclear whether that will be possible by Game 3 — Paul was reportedly vaccinated in February, and the league tweaked its protocols to allow for a shorter quarantine for vaccinated players who test positive depending on their med.
We’ll have to wait and see if he’ll be cleared by Thursday, but Game 2 should be a repeat of Sunday’s matchup. The Suns were able to win that game thanks in major part to Devin Booker’s 40-point triple-double (the first of his career). In the absence of Leonard, Paul George was outstanding, and he’ll have to be again on Tuesday, with someone other than he and Reggie Jackson raising their game to tie the series before they travel to Los Angeles.
