Preview and prediction for Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals

It looks like we have a whole new series. That's what happens when you are able to stave off elimination by winning on the road. The Los Angeles Clippers now have the opportunity, if they can take advantage of the home court, to take this down to a "one-off" against the Phoenix Suns. So Paul George will have a chance to provide some more thrills.

And BetOnline customers have a decision to make - whether this Clipper squad can come back from a 2-0 deficit, not once, not twice, but three times, and not only that, but to do it without Kawhi Leonard, who has not played since Game 5 against Utah.

Game 6 of this series starts at 9 PM ET at the Staples Center.

It was literally the "Paul George Show" in Monday night's contest, as he poured in 41 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Phoenix threw up a lot of poor shots from the outside, and we'll get around to that in a moment.

Injuries play a part in this whole thing, of course. Leonard, of course, has the knee problem, and the rumor mill is circulating the story that he is not altogether happy with what the team doctors have told him, which might impact his pending free agency. Or, that he could have an ACL tear, which takes him out of the picture completely.

Ivica Zubac, a key defensive presence in the middle for the Clips, also has a knee injury, although the last we heard, there was a possibility he could be in uniform. Zubac is the only member of the team who has been any kind of force on the offensive boards. If he doesn't play, or sees just limited minutes, it will likely make this club play a smaller lineup again.

Here are the BetOnline odds by which we will do our NBA playoff picks:

Los Angeles Clippers -1 (-108)
Phoenix Suns            +1 (-112)

Over 215 points -110
Under 215 points -110

For the Clippers to stay alive, one or both of the Suns' starting guards will have to have a poor shooting night. And they haven't been on fire thus far. Chris Paul has shot just 31.7% from the field, while Devin Booker is hitting 38.2%.

We don't want to give you the impression that this has all happened by accident. There was a time when Patrick Beverley was being virtually ignored - certainly overlooked - by head coach Ty Lue, rather than be utilized as a designated stopper.

But when you have to play without staunch defenders like Leonard and big man Serge Ibaka, you have to do things in order to slow down certain potent weapons on the part of the opposition. The primary strength of the Suns lies in the backcourt, so Beverley comes in very handy.

Indeed, he has started four of the five games. And he's the kind of player you've got to love, because he is absolutely in everyone's face. Did you see when he committed that flagrant foul against Paul, who fell hard to the floor, and then got up and mimicked CP3, as if to demonstrate that it was a flop? That signals the kind of attitude a team can feed off.

The Suns could counter some of this by making better use of center DeAndre Ayton, who is not getting to the line but is a sizzling 67.7% from the floor. For perspective, Ayton's Offensive Rating is 129 for the series, compared with 97 for Booker and 93 for Paul. But in a game when you are facing a team without a defender in the pivot, to have just nine attempts - there's just something wrong there.

Not to sound overly dramatic about it, but with Beverley playing considerable minutes, it changes the nature of the matchup. He'll make the Phoenix guards fight for every inch, and the perimeter becomes more difficult too (Suns are 30.7% from downtown). It's a real bump-and-grind, and more deliberate. And if it isn't, it's an ill-advised long-range jumper.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the only game in which the Suns scored more than 104 points (their season average was 115.3) was in Game 1, when Beverley played only about 15 minutes.

We'll go UNDER in this one.

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