*THE SUNS ARE ONE GAME FROM ADVANCING TO THE FINALS: They lead 3-1 because they have executed significantly better than the Clippers during the final seconds of the two close games.

        *THE SUNS NEVER TRAILED IN GAME FOUR: They jumped out to a 12-2 lead and led by 15 in the first half. The Clippers did narrow the margin to one multiple times and had 12 opportunities to either tie or take the lead.

        *DEANDRE AYTON WAS THE MOST DOMINANT PLAYER ON THE FLOOR: He finished with 19 points, 22 rebounds (nine at the offensive end), four blocks and three assists. Not surprisingly, Ayton was a game-best +8 in the plus/minus stat.

        *CHRIS PAUL PLAYED 38 MINUTES, INCLUDING ALL 12 IN THE FOURTH QUARTER: He wasn’t his usual efficient self (8 of 22 from the field and four turnovers), but, as usual, he made the proper decisions in crunch time.

        *DEVIN BOOKER HAD A STRANGE GAME: He scored a game-high 25 points (on eight of 22 field goals and nine of 11 free throws), but also had zero assists, five turnovers and six fouls. Plus, during the third quarter he junked the mask covering his broken nose.

        *THE SECOND HALF WAS AWFUL AND, FREQUENTLY ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO WATCH: The Suns scored 34 points IN THE SECOND HALF and won. After halftime, the teams COMBINED for 74 points, 28 of 83 made field goals (33.7 percent) with 10 assists and 12 turnovers.