LOS ANGELES—With Kevin Durant drawing defenders, Devin Booker found his way to the basket again and again.
Booker scored 45 points, Durant added 28 and the Phoenix Suns beat the Kawhi Leonard-less Los Angeles Clippers 129–124 on Thursday night to take a 2–1 lead in the Western Conference playoff series.
“He set the tone, got to the rim, making plays for others, just controlling the whole game,” Durant said of Booker. “We’re going to need him to do that going forward.”
Leonard sat out because of a sprained right knee, the same injury that has sidelined fellow star Paul George since March 21. Leonard was hurt in Game 1, and played through it in Game 2, but afterward his condition didn’t improve….