At half, Suns recover from sluggish start vs. Clippers in Game 5

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns recovered from a poor start on both ends to trail 59-52 at halftime in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Los Angeles built a lead that reached 15 points five minutes into the game, as coach Ty Lue threw Phoenix a curveball with a zone defense bringing the Suns’ scoring to a slog.

The Suns’ defense, on the other hand, was not awake to start the game.

Marcus Morris Sr. scored 13 first-quarter points, and the Clippers shot 64% to gain a 36-26 lead after 12 minutes.

The lead sat at 44-30 two minutes into the second quarter before the Suns awakened with a 12-0 spurt to pull within two points by the 7:18 mark of the second quarter.

Devin Booker paced the Suns with 19 first-half points, including a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Morris had 20 by frequently targeting Booker on isolation post-ups. He was also left open for a few wing threes.

Los Angeles point guard Reggie Jackson added 14, while DeMarcus Cousins added 10 points off the bench as the Clippers changed up their rotations with starting center Ivica Zubac sidelined due to an MCL injury.

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