Clippers are getting physical with Suns’ Devin Booker, but so far that strategy has backfired

PHOENIX The two knocked heads, resulting in both Devin Booker and Patrick Beverley falling to the court in pain. So much that Booker suffered a bloody nose that required stitches, while Beverley experienced a forehead laceration.

So once the Suns cemented a 104-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Booker had every reason to gloat when he talked trash toward the Clippers’ bench afterwards. Not only did Suns center Deandre Ayton secure the game with a lob off of Jae Crowder’s in-bounds pass, but the Clippers’ persistence with beating up on Booker backfired.

“That's for you guys to decide,” Booker said. “They're an aggressive team. That's how they guard.”

Well, the Clippers should have guarded Booker differently. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue described Beverley as “great” and “unbelievable” with being the primary defender that held Booker to 20 points on 5-of-16 shooting after he posted a triple double in Game 1 (40 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists). But Lue undercut his own argument when he conceded that “we just had no answer for Cameron Payne,” who had 29 points on 12-of-24 shooting. That’s because how the Clippers defended Booker partly led to the Suns punishing them elsewhere.

“That’s on the refs to decide. But I know we have a team over here that if teams are trying to play junk defense like that and take me out?” Booker said before turning to his teammate. “Cam Payne — he'll kill you; he'll go after it. He's not scared of the moment, he's not scared to go make a play.”

Booker is never scared to make a play, either. Heck, Booker arrived to his post-game interview admitting that his nose is crooked, that he needs to take additional scans and will likely need to wear a mask moving forward. That did not stop him.

“It feels better now,” Booker said. “If we would have lost, I think it would hurt a little bit more. It's good.”

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Despite his inefficient stat line, Booker still punished the Clippers for Beverley’s cheap-shot tactics and his other teammates’ efforts to just play physical.

After leaving the game to attend to his nose with 3:22 left in the third quarter, Booker returned to the court before the fourth quarter started to a roaring crowd. He then backed up that hype with substance.

Booker made a 27-foot jumper that gave the Suns a 102-101 lead with 27 seconds left. He went 7-of-7 from the free-throw line in the final period. And he set an effective backscreen on Clippers center Ivica Zubac that opened up space for Ayton to convert on the game-winning lob.

“We try to stay aggressive,” Booker said. “Stay with what we do and whether it's basketball plays or not, we've got to move on to the next one.”

Booker hasn’t exactly just moved on to the next play. He talked trash to the Clippers’ bench, most notably Beverley, after draining a jumper. After the game, Booker talked more trash to the Clippers’ bench, which prompted Clippers center DeMarcus Cousins to push him away. The Clippers’ intimidating tactics are not working on Booker.

Not only did Booker ignore Beverley when he talked trash at the end of the game. It just made him angrier. Had the Clippers simply focused on defending Booker with their schemes and aggressiveness, perhaps the Clippers could have tired Booker out. Former NBA defender Tony Allen often took that approach when he defended former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant. That explains why Bryant considered Allen as his toughest defender.

Instead, Beverley guarded Booker the way he did on Kevin Durant two years ago during his final season with the Golden State Warriors. It may have resulted in Durant shooting inefficiently in Game 1. Durant eventually became increasingly annoyed, and then punished the Clippers with sheer dominance the rest of the series.

“It's just playoff basketball,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “Both Ty and I understand the level of physicality that is going to be allowed. I think Book did a decent job of not letting it take him out of his game.”

And because that happened, expect the Clippers to make more adjustments. After all, Beverley said he and his teammates have addressed Lue as New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick because how both coaches constantly tinker with strategies. The Clippers usually have during these playoffs. But their adjustments on Dallas’ Luka Doncic and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell centered on effort, schemes and aggressiveness. Against Booker, the Clippers appeared too intent on making things personal with him.

“I feel like that opens up opportunities in space for other people to get it going,” Booker said. “That's what we've been banking on all season is that we're a complete team.”

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Clippers' physical tactics on Suns’ Devin Booker are backfiring