The Los Angeles Clippers have been eliminated from the 2023 NBA Playoffs, but they went down battling with a range of emotions.
Playing without stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George together for the third straight game, No. 5-seeded Los Angeles fell 136-130 to the No. 4-seeded Phoenix Suns in Monday's Game 5, losing the first-round series 4-1.
Though the Clippers led 70-61 at halftime, Devin Booker and the Suns scorched their defense for a 50-point third quarter as a team to retake the advantage.
But despite missing the star power in Leonard and George, the Clippers staged a late run and trimmed a double-digit lead to just two with 2:46 remaining in the fourth. That got Clippers owner Steve Ballmer hyped, so much so that he made a Suns fan beside him courtside quite uncomfortable amid his seated, rowdy celebrations.
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But Ballmer's cheers didn't sustain afterwards, as Kevin Durant helped put the game out of reach for Phoenix with clutch free throws down the stretch.
The win for Phoenix meant it booked its spot in the second round against Nikola Jokic and the No. 1-seeded Denver Nuggets for a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
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Ballmer and the Clippers, however, have to revert to the drawing board as injuries yet again prevented the squad from making a deep postseason run.
