Western finals now set; Nash, Suns rout Clippers to advance

Shawn Marion had 30 points and nine rebounds for the Suns, who were playing in their second straight Game 7 after rallying from a 3-1 deficit to top the Lakers.

The Suns, who went 15-of-27 from three-point range, will play at Dallas in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday. The Mavericks eliminated the defending NBA champion Spurs, 119-111, in overtime in Game 7 of the other semifinal series, in San Antonio, on Monday.

Nash, the two-time reigning league MVP, shot 11-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, helping Phoenix to a 60 percent performance from the floor. Now, he’ll face his former team, as Nash played six seasons in Dallas before coming to Phoenix.

Elton Brand tallied 36 points and pulled down nine rebounds for the Clippers, who as a franchise have never made it to the conference finals. They were playing a Game 7 for the first time since moving to Los Angeles.

Leandro Barbosa added 18 points and Tim Thomas scored 16 for the Suns, who also got 14 points and eight boards from Boris Diaw, and 10 points from Raja Bell.

Phoenix outscored the Clippers, 45-0, on three-pointers.

Leading 65-57 at halftime, the Suns pulled away late in the third. Sam Cassell’s jumper brought the Clippers within 82-75 midway through the period, but Phoenix capped the stanza with a 12-4 spurt.

A Nash jumper bolstered Phoenix to a 104-83 cushion with 8:44 left and the lead didn’t dip under 15 the rest of the way.

Corey Maggette contributed 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench for Los Angeles, but Cassell was limited to 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

The Clippers scored the game’s first four points, but the Suns responded with an 18-6 spurt and didn’t trail the remainder of the contest. However, the Clippers tied the game at 28-28 in the final minute of the first and trailed by only four, 32-28, after 12 minutes.

Bell drilled a jumper and a three-pointer to start the second quarter, and Diaw’s layup capped a big run to boost Phoenix to a 39-28 advantage.

LA whittled its deficit to three later in the second, but still trailed by eight points at the half.

Game Notes

The Suns lost to San Antonio in last year’s conference finals...This is the Suns’ eighth time in the conference finals and first time back-to-back...The Clippers went 7-5 in the playoffs this year. In the previous 27 seasons, since moving to California, they were 4-9 in the postseason....The 15 three-pointers ties a Phoenix playoff record...Rebounds were even at 32...The Clippers shot 52.6 percent...Shaun Livingston had 14 points while Cuttino Mobley and Chris Kaman each had 10 for the Clippers.