Clippers grind out win over Suns to clinch fifth seed in playoffs

A regular season in which the Clippers made nothing look easy ended Sunday in the only way appropriate.

Their most straightforward postseason scenario involved beating Phoenix and securing a first-round matchup as the Western Conference’s fifth seed against the same Suns. And they did that, winning 119-114 to secure the fifth seed.

But getting it was anything but straightforward.

With a loss leaving open the possibility of the play-in tournament, which they earnestly tried to avoid, the Clippers missed shots and opportunities, scuffled and struggled against a Phoenix team resting its best players, opening fresh questions again about their readiness to play the fourth-seeded Suns at full strength.

So rarely in sync for the last seven months, the Clippers continued to show little signs of cohesion. Down four points entering the final quarter, reserve guard Bones Hyland and backup center Mason Plumlee shoved each other in a heated exchange before teammates separated the pair, who quickly took the court to start the final quarter.

Their postseason fate was not decided until the final minutes of the league’s season. With Minnesota and New Orleans, whose matchup would have dictated the Clippers’ seed with a loss, finishing within minutes of the Clippers’ own game, Kawhi Leonard put his head down, drove to his left and scored on a layup with 19 seconds left to extend his team’s lead to five and, for the first time all afternoon, bring a sense of finality to their playoff future.

Leonard finished with 25 points, 15 rebounds and six assists. Norman Powell scored 29 off the bench, and Russell Westbrook scored 25 points, with eight assists and seven rebounds. The Clippers (44-38) squeaked by while shooting 55% in the fourth quarter and outrebounding the Suns 19-9.