National Basketball Association

NBA playoffs: Top moments from LA Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns Game 2

Updated Jun. 23, 2021 12:36 a.m. ET

The heat is officially on — and getting hotter — in the Western Conference finals.

The Phoenix Suns and LA Clippers squared off Tuesday in Game 2 after the first matchup of the series offered plenty of fireworks.

The Suns took Game 1 by a score of 120-114, jumping to a quick series lead behind a monster performance from All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker.

In Game 2, Booker wasn't as dominant, but the final result was the same for the Suns.

Phoenix won Game 2 104-103 to take a 2-0 series lead behind a miraculous shot from Deandre Ayton in the final seconds to propel the Suns into the driver's seat of this series.

Here are the top moments from Game 2:

Phoenix Suns 104, LA Clippers 103 (Phoenix leads series 2-0)

Booker was the star of Game 1, but Suns center Deandre Ayton wasn't too shabby himself, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

He picked up where he left off early in Game 2, with 12 first-quarter points, two of which came on this ferocious alley-oop from teammate Jae Crowder.

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The 12 points were the most Ayton had scored in a quarter this postseason and led the Suns to a 25-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second, the Clippers received a scoring boost from an unlikely source: Rajon Rondo.

Rondo knocked down two 3-pointers in the frame to keep the Clippers within arm's reach of the Suns.

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But the star of the first half was Cameron Payne, who did his best Chris Paul impersonation for the Suns. Payne scored 16 points in the half to lead all players and guide his team to a 48-47 halftime lead.

Booker and Paul George scored a combined 76 points in Game 1, but in the first half of Game 2, both stars were held in check, with each scoring just nine points. Booker was 3-for-10 from the field at the half, while George was just 4-for-12.

When the second half started, the scoring load was once again carried by Payne for the Suns. He poured in a quick seven points early in the third quarter to bring his total to 23.

After going scoreless in the first half, Clippers reserve guard Luke Kennard made an impact, with eight points and two made 3-pointers to give his team an offensive spark.

The fourth quarter came down to the wire, as both the Suns' and Clippers' star players delivered down the stretch, with George and Booker trading shots in crunch time.

But after two missed free throws by George, the Suns still had life with less than a second left on the clock.

That provided the perfect opportunity for Ayton to play the hero, scoring on a lob at the rim to give the Suns the lead for good and a 2-0 series lead.

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