Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns take 2-1 series lead on Los Angeles Clippers in NBA Playoffs

The Phoenix Suns have a 2-1 lead on the Los Angeles Clippers in their first-round NBA Playoffs series after a 129-124 win on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Devin Booker had 45 points to lead the Suns to the win. Kevin Durant added 28.

Norman Powell led the Clippers, who were playing without Kawhi Leonard, with 42 points.

Booker went 18-for-29 from the field, while also providing stellar defense in the game. He played 44 minutes.

Kevin Durant scored 28 points for the Suns in 41 minutes.

The Suns had 46 free throw attempts in the game, making 35 of them. The Clippers went 19-for-25 from the free-throw line.

Russell Westbrook added 30 points for the Clippers.

Los Angeles shot 15-for-35 from 3-point range and was 45-for-83 from the field.

The Suns had 15 offensive rebounds in the game, compared to six for the Clippers. Phoenix led by as many as 13 points in the second half.

Game 4 of the series is Saturday at 12:30 p.m. MST in Los Angeles.

More: Phoenix Suns fans vent after Game 3 vs. Los Angeles Clippers blacked out on NBA TV

Frantic finish in Los Angeles between Suns, Clippers

The Clippers pulled within 119-116, but the Suns got a 3-pointer from Torrey Craig and a 3-point play from Devin Booker to make it 125-116.

Norman Powell, however, just hit a 3 and was fouled by Torrey Craig to make it 125-120 with 36.4 seconds left.

Chris Paul then missed two free throws for Phoenix, but Los Angeles couldn't score on its next possession.

Score: Suns 125, Clippers 120 (19.4 seconds left)

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Clippers not going away vs. Suns in Game 3

It's 119-114 with 2:07 left in the game. The Clippers are not going away playing without Kawhi Leonard.

This could be an very interesting final couple of minutes.

Score: Suns 119, Clippers 114 (2:07 left in fourth quarter)

Devin Booker hits 40 points in Game 3 vs. Clippers

There is 6:09 left in Game 3 of the Suns vs. Clippers series and Devin Booker just hit 40 points in the game.

And he has done it on 16-for-24 shooting from the field.

Booker has played 38 minutes in the game. After picking up two early fouls in the first quarter, he hasn't been whistled for a foul since ... and it's not because he hasn't been aggressive on defense.

Score: Suns 111, Clippers 101 (6:09 left in fourth quarter)

Norman Powell shining for Clippers vs. Suns

Let's give Norman Powell some credit for the Clippers.

He has 33 points in 32 minutes of play on 12-for-18 shooting.

Not too bad.

Score: Suns 105, Clippers 99 (7:15 left in fourth quarter)

Aggressiveness paying off for Suns vs. Clippers

The Suns are being very aggressive in Game 3 and its is paying off.

The team is 28-for-35 from the free throw line. The Clippers are 12-for-18.

That's not going to go over well for Los Angeles fans, but the Suns have been the more aggressive team.

Phoenix has gotten some great minutes from Bismack Biyombo in relief of Deandre Ayton in Game 3.

The big man has four points in 11 minutes, but the Suns are +18 while he is on the court.

Not too shabby.

Score: Suns 105, Clippers 92 (9:03 left in fourth quarter)

Suns take 9-point lead into fourth quarter against Clippers

The Phoenix Suns have a 94-85 point lead on the Los Angeles Clippers after three quarters in Game 3.

Can they keep the lead over the final 12 minutes and take a 2-1 lead in the first-round NBA Playoffs series?

Devin Booker has 34 points on 13-for-21 shooting for Phoenix, while Kevin Durant has 22.

Norman Powell leads the Clippers with 29 points and Russell Westbrook has 24.

The Suns have a huge advantage at the free-throw line in this game, having hit 24-of-30 attempts.

The Clippers are 11-for-16.

The Suns outscored the Clippers in the third quarter, 40-34.

Score: Suns 94, Clippers 85 (end of third quarter)

Suns extend lead to 13 vs. Clippers

The Suns have outscored the Clippers in the third quarter, 25-15 to take a 79-66 lead with 4:53 remaining in the period.

And there have been some fireworks, most recently an emphatic dunk by Kevin Durant, who is up to 20 points in the game.

The Clippers have 16 turnovers in the game. The Suns have 11 steals.

Score: Suns 79, Clippers 66 (4:53 left in third quarter)

Devin Booker shining on defense, offense vs. Clippers

Devin Booker is having himself another game against the Clippers.

The Suns star has 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting, while also standing out on defense with some key plays.

And some people think he doesn't play defense?

Score: Suns 71, Clippers 64 (6:30 left in third quarter)

Clippers narrow gap vs. Suns before half

The Suns have a 54-51 lead as the first half has come to a close at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

And it was an interesting first half.

The Clippers led by as many as six and the Suns led by as many as eight in a sloppy first 24 minutes of play.

Los Angeles had 12 turnovers in the first two quarters while the Suns had eight.

The Clippers shot 47.4% from the field in the first half, while the Suns shot 43.8%.

Devin Booker has 21 points for the Suns and Kevin Durant has 14.

Norman Powell has a game-high 22 for the Clippers, filling in admirably for the injured Kawhi Leonard.

He is 8-for-10 from the field and score the last nine points of the half for Los Angeles.

Score: Suns 54, Clippers 51 (halftime)

Suns explode for 8-point lead vs. Clippers

The Suns can score in bunches. They just did against the Clippers.

Down 42-41, the team has rattled off nine straight points to take a 50-42 lead with 2:25 left in the first half.

The last six came on a 3-pointer by Kevin Durant and then a steal and three by Devin Booker.

The Suns are now 5-for-12 from 3-point range in the game.

Score: Suns 50, Clippers 42 (2:25 left in first half)

Devin Booker off to big start for Suns vs. Clippers

The Suns finally took Devin Booker out of the game four minutes into the second quarter after Booker had scored a game-high 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting.

Booker played several minutes with two fouls, but didn't pick up a third before getting his first rest of the game.

Former Suns player Marcus Morris Sr. just was called for a foul on Josh Okogie and then was called for a technical for arguing the call.

Score: Suns 35, Clippers 34 (6:41 left in second quarter)

Suns respond to tie game at end of first quarter vs. Clippers

After trailing by as many as six points, the Suns have responded to tie the score up against the Clippers at the end of the first quarter in Los Angeles, 27-27.

Devin Booker leads all scorers with 13 points in the game, while Kevin Durant has six for Phoenix.

Norman Powell has 10 for Los Angeles.

The Suns shot 11-for-23 in the first quarter. The Clippers were 10-for-17.

One interesting note: Devin Booker is the lone player in the game with more than one foul as he picked up two in the first quarter.

Score: Suns 27, Clippers 27 (end of first quarter)

Clippers build 6-point lead vs. Suns

The Clippers have build a 6-point lead on the Suns at 20-14 with 3:43 left in the first quarter as Phoenix has struggled to get anything going on offense and is out of sync.

The Suns are just 5-for-13 from the field and 2-for-7 from 3.

The Clippers are 8-for-11 from the field and 2-for-5 from 3.

Norman Powell has nine points on 4-for-4 shooting so far in the game, stepping up nicely in Kawhi Leonard's absence.

The Clippers had gone four minutes without a field goal, but they have since gone 5-for-5 to build the 6-point lead.

Score: Clippers 20, Suns 14 (3:43 left in first quarter)

Suns go on 7-0 run after 0-6 deficit

We are at the first break in action in Game 3 of the Suns vs. Clippers game in Los Angeles and it's been a game of runs.

The Clippers started the game with a 6-0 run, but then the Suns have answered to score seven straight and take a 7-6 lead with 8:33 left in the first quarter.

Four players have all 13 points in the game, with Devin Booker with five for Phoenix and Kevin Durant with two. Norman Powell has four for Los Angeles and Russell Westbrook has two.

Score: Suns 7, Clippers 6 (8:33 left in first quarter)

Suns vs. Clippers starting lineups

The Suns didn't make any changes in their starting lineup from the first two games of the series, going with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and Torrey Craig.

With Kawhi Leonard out for Los Angeles, the Clippers will start Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Norm Powell, Nicolas Batum and Ivica Zubac on Thursday.

Suns to show Games 3, 4 vs. Clippers at Footprint Center

Want to watch Game 3 or Game 4 of the Suns vs. Clippers series with Suns fans at the Suns Arena while the team is playing in Los Angeles?

The team will hole "Road Game Rallies" for the next two games in the series, away games for Phoenix in Los Angeles on Thursday night and Saturday afternoon.

Tickets for Round 1 Road Game Rallies are $10 and are on sale at Suns.com/TIX. Additional dates will be added as the postseason progresses. All tickets are general admission, with seats throughout the arena available on a first-come, first-served basis.

More than 12,000 of the best fans in the NBA rocked Footprint Center for Road Games Rallies each game last season. The games are shown on the arena's LED video board.

How to watch Game 3 of Suns vs. Clippers

The Suns vs. Clippers game Thursday can be seen on NBA TV, Bally Sports Arizona, Bally Sports SoCal and Clippervision.

Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday in Los Angeles.

You can see the complete schedule for the Suns vs. Clippers NBA Playoffs series here.

Suns vs. Clippers Game 3 prediction

USA TODAY Sports' Sportsbook Wire has the Clippers winning the game over the Suns on Thursday, 114-113 in its prediction for Game 3 of the NBA Playoffs series.

You can read its breakdown of the game, as well as other picks and predictions for the contest here.

Suns vs. Clippers Game 3 odds

The Suns are a 7.5-point favorite over the Clippers, according to Tipico Sportsbook (they were a 2.5-point favorite before the Kawhi Leonard news).

Phoenix is -320 on the moneyline, while Los Angeles is +260.

The over/under for the game is set at 225.5 points.

You can see more odds for the Suns vs. Clippers NBA Playoffs series here.

Pregame reading for Suns vs. Clippers Game 3

How will Suns strategy change against Clippers with Kawhi Leonard out for Game 3?

Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker ranked among biggest trash talkers in NBA by players

Devin Booker 'mesmerizing' in Phoenix Suns' NBA Playoffs win over Los Angeles Clippers

What must Phoenix Suns do in Game 3 vs. Clippers? Here's what The Republic's writers say

'League knows what it is': Chris Paul ends 13-game playoff skid with Scott Foster officiating

Can Phoenix Suns keep momentum going in Los Angeles after Game 2 win over Clippers?

Quick take: Phoenix Suns played huge in a game they had to have

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Phoenix Suns even series with L.A. Clippers behind Booker's 38-point Game 2 barrage

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers Game 2 playoff rewind

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Devin Booker leads Phoenix Suns to 2-1 lead over Los Angeles Clippers