National Basketball Association

NBA playoffs: Top moments from Clippers vs. Suns, Hawks vs. Sixers

Updated Jun. 20, 2021 11:17 p.m. ET

Sunday served up another hefty helping of NBA playoff action.

First, the Western Conference finals tipped off with the LA Clippers visiting the Phoenix Suns for Game 1. Both Kawhi Leonard and Chris Paul were ruled out for the contest. Which of their teammates stepped up in their absence?

Devin Booker put on a career performance for the Suns, registering his first triple-double with 40 points, 11 assists and 13 rebounds.

Later, the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Atlanta Hawks in a pivotal Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semis. Joel Embiid & Co. hoped to put away Trae Young and the upstart Hawks for the right to face the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals.

But that was not to be, as the Hawks pulled off a stunning upset, taking down the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed with a 103-96 victory.

Five Hawks players scored in double figures to help propel the squad to the Eastern Conference finals.

Here are the best moments from Sunday's action.

Atlanta Hawks 103, Philadelphia 76ers 96 (Atlanta wins series 4-3)

One thing was clear for the Sixers early in the game: All-Star center Joel Embiid wasn't going down without a fight.

He poured in 11 early points in a variety of ways to set the tone for his team.

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Meanwhile, the Hawks were led by the offense of Kevin Huerter in the first quarter, as he chipped in nine points.

The fast start from Embiid pushed the Sixers to a 28-25 lead by the end of the first quarter.

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The second quarter brought more of the same from Embiid and Huerter, who led their teams with 15 points and 12 points, respectively, by halftime.

The Hawks rode an 8-0 run to take control of the game to start the second, and it ultimately led to a 48-46 lead at the break.

Trae Young struggled to find his shot in the first 24 minutes of Game 7, going just 1-for-12 from the field, but he managed to score nine points, thanks in part to six made free throws.

The Sixers shot 42% as a team in the first half, while the Hawks shot just 40%.

In the second half, Ben Simmons made his presence felt with a thunderous, reverse jam on an alley-oop.

Through three quarters, Simmons had four points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.

But even with Simmons stuffing the stat sheet, the Sixers found themselves trailing 76-71 at the end of the third quarter, thanks to a well-balanced offensive attack from Atlanta, which had five players in double figures.

In the end, the Hawks held on for a 103-96 victory on the road in Game 7.

After the slow start, Young was able to get going late, and he finished with 21 points and 10 assists to lead the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals.

Huerter starred on the night for the Hawks, leading the team in scoring with 27 points.

The Hawks will next face the Milwaukee Bucks in the East finals.

Phoenix Suns 120, LA Clippers 114 (Phoenix leads series 1-0)

Paul George picked up where he left off to start the Clippers' tilt against the Suns.

LA ran out to an early 14-10 lead, with George sinking seven of those points for the Clips.

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George's hot hand carried throughout the first quarter, as he led all scorers with 12 points in the opening frame.

As for the Suns, Jae Crowder led the hosts with seven points to start things off, and the first quarter ended knotted at 21 apiece.

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Cam Payne, in for the absent Paul, had two points in just a few ticks more than six minutes of action in the first quarter.

A sensational performance from Demarcus Cousins was one of the surprises of the early going. After not featuring at all in the Clippers' series against the Dallas Mavericks and appearing in just two games against the Jazz, Boogie popped up with 11 points off LA's bench in the first half Sunday.

The big man on the other side of the floor also enjoyed a productive first half. Deandre Ayton went 7-for-8, pouring in 14 points to lead the Suns.

Booker also chipped in 11 points in a back-and-forth half that featured 18 lead changes and had the Suns up 57-54 at the break.

The Suns came out aggressively in the third quarter, building an eight-point lead.

But that lead evaporated amid a 16-2 run by the Clippers, who had built a six-point lead of their own with 3:44 left in the third.

The third quarter was a battle between George and Booker. Phoenix's star guard went 7⁠-for-11 for 18 points, dissecting LA's defense with a lethal midrange game.

Meanwhile, George tallied 15 points in the frame, keeping the Clippers knotted with Phoenix at 93 as the game headed to the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, Booker kept at it from a scoring perspective …

… and served as a provider for the Suns in crunch time.

That assist to Mikal Bridges gave Booker his first career triple-double. The Clippers battled until the end, getting crucial, late triples from Rajon Rondo and Terance Mann, but the Suns held on for a 120-114 victory.

Booker finished with 40 points to lead all scorers as Phoenix took a 1-0 lead in the West finals.

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