Orange County softball standings: Saturday, April 15

• April 15, 2023

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Orange County high school softball standings through Friday, April 14

TRINITY LEAGUE
League
Overall

Orange Lutheran
5-0
14-5

JSerra
4-2
14-7

Santa Margarita
3-5
13-7-1

Mater Dei
2-4
11-11-1

Rosary
1-4
10-9

SUNSET LEAGUE
League
Overall

Los Alamitos
6-0
17-2

Huntington Beach
7-1
16-4

Marina
5-3
17-6

Edison
3-3
13-9

Fountain Valley
3-5
12-10

Corona del Mar
0-5
1-12

Newport Harbor
0-7
5-15

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE
League
Overall

Aliso Niguel
3-1
17-4

Tesoro
3-1
12-5-1

Mission Viejo
3-2
11-13-1

San Juan Hills
1-2
4-11

Dana Hills
0-4
6-8

SEA VIEW LEAGUE
League
Overall

El Toro
4-1
8-8-1

Trabuco Hills
2-1
13-6

Capistrano Valley
2-2
16-5

San Clemente
0-4
2-11

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
League
Overall

Woodbridge
3-0
5-5-1

Beckman
4-1
9-7

Irvine
3-1
9-8

Northwood
3-2
6-4

Laguna Hills
2-5
6-7

Portola
0-2
1-4

University
0-4
0-5

CRESTVIEW LEAGUE
League
Overall

Esperanza
5-0
17-4

Canyon
2-3
14-9

El Modena
2-3
12-9

Villa Park
1-4
15-8

NORTH HILLS LEAGUE
League
Overall

El Dorado
3-1
11-11

Foothill
3-1
15-6

Yorba Olinda
2-2
5-15

Brea Linda
0-4
7-12

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE
League
Overall

Segerstrom
6-0
9-12

Westminster
4-2
13-8

Ocean View
3-2
12-6

Garden Grove
3-3
12-6

Katella
1-4
8-9

Godinez
0-6
8-14

FREEWAY LEAGUE
League
Overall

Sunny Hills
6-0
9-5-1

Fullerton
4-2
18-3

Sonora
4-2
9-9

Troy
2-4
9-10

La Habra
2-4
9-12

Buena Park
0-6
6-9-1

GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE
League
Overall

La Quinta
5-0
8-4

Santiago
5-1
7-6

Loara
3-2
4-8

Los Amigos
3-3
7-5-1

Bolsa Grande
0-5
2-10

Rancho Alamitos
0-5
2-10

EMPIRE LEAGUE
League
Overall

Cypress
6-0
16-2-1

Kennedy
3-1
11-7

Pacifica
4-2
15-7

Crean Lutheran
1-2
10-4-1

Valencia
1-5
6-13-1

Tustin
0-5
0-7

ORANGE LEAGUE
League
Overall

Anaheim
5-0
9-7-1

Savanna
3-1
5-11

Western
2-2
3-6-1

Santa Ana Valley
1-2
6-2

Century
0-2
0-11

Magnolia
0-4
0-10

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE
League
Overall

Calvary Chapel
5-0
6-9

Costa Mesa
4-1
10-2

Estancia
3-3
6-6

Santa Ana
2-4
7-11

Orange
2-4
2-7

Saddleback
0-4
3-11

​ Orange County Register 

DA: Suspect in killing of Cash App founder planned attack

• April 15, 2023

By Olga R. Rodriguez and Janie Har | Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — The tech consultant charged with the killing of Cash App founder Bob Lee planned the attack, drove the victim to a secluded spot and stabbed him over an apparent dispute related to the suspect’s sister, prosecutors said in a court document released Friday.

The motion to detain Nima Momeni, 38, without bail is the first official accounting of what may have led to the stabbing death of Lee in a deserted part of downtown San Francisco early morning on April 4. Momeni was arrested Thursday and appeared in a San Francisco courtroom Friday but did not enter a plea.

He is now scheduled to be arraigned April 25.

The judge in Friday’s brief hearing agreed to detain Momeni in jail without bail. If convicted, he faces 26 years to life in prison, said the office of District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

Momeni appeared in court wearing an orange sweatshirt and pants. He did not speak except to say, “Yes your honor,” when the judge asked if he agreed to decline his right to a speedy trial.

His younger sister Khazar Elyassnia sat with her husband, prominent San Francisco plastic surgeon Dino Elyassnia, and two other family members in the front row at the hearing. When Momeni entered the courtroom, an older woman made a heart sign with her hands and Momeni, who was wearing a face mask, smiled and nodded at them.

The family declined to speak to reporters.

Momeni was represented in court Friday by attorney Robert Canny, who told reporters after the hearing, “The facts of what occurred, or didn’t occur, will come out over time.”

On Thursday, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott announced Momeni’s arrest and said that the two men knew each other but declined to elaborate on their connection. He also refused to disclose a possible motive.

The motion to detain Momeni relies on surveillance video and testimony from a friend who was with Lee the afternoon and evening before he died. The events that unfolded started the day before, when the friend, along with Lee and Khazar Elyassnia, were drinking together at another person’s apartment, according to the document.

That night, the friend said he and Lee left the apartment. Afterward, they went to Lee’s hotel room, without Khazar Elyassnia, and noticed a conversation in which Momeni was questioning Lee over whether his younger sister “was doing drugs or anything inappropriate,” according to the document. Lee reassured Momeni that nothing inappropriate had happened. It is unclear whether the conversation took place in person or by phone.

The friend and Lee parted ways around 12:30 a.m. Minutes later, Lee can be seen on video surveillance entering the Millennium Tower, where public records show the Elyassnias own a unit. The video also shows Lee and Momeni leaving the building shortly after 2 a.m. and driving off in Momeni’s BMW.

Prosecutors say that Momeni drove to a dark and secluded spot, and attacked Lee with a kitchen knife, stabbing him three times, including once in the heart. He then sped away “and left victim to slowly die,” according to the motion. Police recovered a knife with a 4-inch blade at the scene.

The motion also indicates a text message that Khazar Elyassnia sent Lee to check on him because her brother came “down hard on you” and to thank him for “handling it with class.”

Robert Canny did not return an email and phone message seeking comment on the details released by the prosecutor’s office. Dino Elyassnia did not return emails and messages left at his practice seeking comment. Khazar Elyassnia could not immediately be reached for comment.

The stabbing death of Lee shocked the tech industry, with friends and former colleagues mourning a man they described as brilliant, gregarious and a doting father to his two children.

Lee had recently moved to Miami with his father and was back in San Francisco for business when police found him with stab wounds in the downtown Rincon Hill neighborhood at 2:30 a.m. April 4. He died at a hospital.

Lee is known for creating the widely used mobile payment service Cash App while working as chief technology officer of the payment company Square, now known as Block.

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On his LinkedIn profile, Momeni describes himself as an “IT Consultant/Entrepreneur” as well as the owner of a company called Expand IT, described as an information technology consulting business in state filings.

Criminal records show Momeni was charged in 2011 for carrying a switchblade, a misdemeanor offense. The case was dismissed the following year after he took a plea.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County baseball standings: Saturday, April 15

• April 15, 2023

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Orange County high school baseball standings through Friday, April 14

TRINITY LEAGUE
League
Overall

Santa Margarita
8-1
16-5

Mater Dei
7-2
14-7-1

Orange Lutheran
5-5
14-8-1

JSerra
4-5
12-8

Servite
3-7
13-10

St. John Bosco
1-8
10-12

SURF LEAGUE
League
Overall

Huntington Beach
4-1
17-7

Los Alamitos
2-2
13-8

Fountain Valley
2-3
11-9

Corona del Mar
1-3
10-11

WAVE LEAGUE
League
Overall

Edison
4-0
11-9

Newport Harbor
2-1
9-11

Laguna Beach
1-3
6-10-1

Marina
0-3
8-12

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE
League
Overall

Tesoro
7-1
15-6

Capistrano Valley
5-1
12-9

Trabuco Hills
2-4
10-12

Mission Viejo
2-7
13-10

Dana Hills
1-4
6-15

SEA VIEW LEAGUE
League
Overall

San Juan Hills
4-2
11-10

Aliso Niguel
3-3
9-12

San Clemente
3-3
14-6

El Toro
2-4
8-13

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
League
Overall

Woodbridge
15-2
19-5

Northwood
11-5
14-8

Beckman
9-6-2
13-9-2

Irvine
8-8-1
10-13-1

Laguna Hills
8-8
14-8

Portola
6-9
8-14

University
4-9-1
9-11-1

Sage Hill
1-15
3-16

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE
League
Overall

Estancia
8-2
16-5

Costa Mesa
5-3
17-5

Calvary Chapel
5-3
10-10

Orange
4-3
9-11

St. Margaret’s
3-4
4-8

Santa Ana
4-6
6-13

Saddleback
0-8
2-14

ORANGE LEAGUE
League
Overall

Savanna
6-0
13-3-1

Century
4-2
14-7

Anaheim
4-2
10-11

Magnolia
4-2
10-8

Santa Ana Valley
0-6
2-13

Western
0-6
1-12

CRESTVIEW LEAGUE
League
Overall

Villa Park
4-1
14-9

El Dorado
3-2
13-9

El Modena
2-3
13-10

Foothill
1-4
11-12

NORTH HILLS LEAGUE
League
Overall

Yorba Linda
3-1
10-10-1

Brea Olinda
2-2
10-9

Esperanza
2-3
7-12

Canyon
1-2
12-7

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE
League
Overall

Katella
5-1
11-10

Ocean View
4-1
12-9

Segerstrom
3-3
4-13-2

Westminster
2-3
11-4

Garden Grove
2-4
13-8

Godinez
0-4
1-15

EMPIRE LEAGUE
League
Overall

Pacifica
6-0
18-2

Cypress
6-0
18-6

Crean Lutheran
4-2
17-6

Tustin
1-5
3-16

Kennedy
1-5
9-10-1

Valencia
0-6
4-16

FREEWAY LEAGUE
League
Overall

Fullerton
5-1
13-6

La Habra
4-2
13-3-2

Troy
3-3
10-9-1

Sonora
3-3
11-10

Buena Park
2-4
9-11

Sunny Hills
1-5
8-8-1

GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE
League
Overall

Loara
6-3
7-7

Los Amigos
6-4
10-7

Bolsa Grande
5-4
8-9

Santiago
5-5
6-9

La Quinta
4-5
6-9

Rancho Alamitos
2-7
4-10

SAN JOAQUIN LEAGUE
League
Overall

Western Christian
10-0
11-1

Calvary Chapel/Downey
11-1-1
13-5-2

Pacifica Christian
6-3-1
8-4-1

The Webb Schools
4-5-1
4-5-1

Fairmont Prep
4-7
4-8

Southlands Christian
2-7-1
3-10-1

Tarbut V’ Torah
2-7
2-7

Avalon
0-9
1-11

Capistrano Valley Christian
0-0
14-9

​ Orange County Register 

Galaxy hopes facing rival LAFC can revive its slow start

• April 15, 2023

Jalen Neal has watched every El Trafico game.

On Sunday, he finally gets to play in one and it might just be one to save the Galaxy’s season.

By now, everyone in the league knows about the Galaxy’s struggles, winless (0-3-3) to start the season.

To borrow a line from America’s favorite soccer coach, Ted Lasso, the Galaxy remain a “work in Progmess.”

“No one would have had these expectations of us starting the way we’ve had this season,” Neal said. “I think we’ve shown glimpses of what we can truly do and a few of the games we’ve been good for the entirety of the game, but the results didn’t happen to go our way.

“We know what we’re capable of, we know our potential and any game now we can have that jump start.”

To quiet the “noise” or to shut out the noise as coach Greg Vanney put it Thursday, the Galaxy will have to find a way to slow down a high-flying LAFC attack led by Denis Bouanga.

“He likes to go inside a lot, he’s right-footed, playing on the left, he’s going … a lot of inverting runs off of the ball and he’s a creative player on the ball,” Neal said of Bouanga. “We know his strengths and weaknesses.”

In 10 MLS and CONCACAF Champions League games, Bouanga already has 11 goals. That’s translated into LAFC starting the season on a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2) and advancing to the Champions League semifinals.

“They’re running a nice, confident wave,” Vanney said. “Coming off the end of last season, which gives every team confidence and then they’ve hit the ground running in terms of the start of this season, in terms of getting results both (CONCACAF) Champions League … they’re getting a lot of games under their belt, they’ve got a solid rotation, they’re healthy, which is key. And again, swagger, confidence and riding a guy or two that’s having lights out beginnings to the season, helps … it helps everybody.”

The Galaxy, however, lands on the opposite side of the fence.

Injuries have contributed to the slow start. And in last Saturday’s 3-0 loss in Houston, frustrations boiled over as Martin Caceres and Douglas Costa picked up red cards in separate incidents and will have to sit out Sunday’s game.

“They want to win, they want to win a game and so there’s that desire and I think natural stress you would have to want to come out and win,” Vanney said. “They know a game like this is a big opportunity to turn a season around in one day, one game and these games a lot of times come down to just competing … out-competing the opposition, winning your duels, finishing your opportunities when you get them. Obviously we’ve got to manage them and they have some difference makers who can, with one play, change the course of a game instantly.”

The Galaxy will likely have Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez back in the starting lineup. Hernandez made his season debut last week, coming on as a second-half sub.

“At the end of the day, he is our alpha player,” Vanney said of Chicharito. “When we miss him, we don’t just miss him on the field, we miss his personality in the group and so it’s really nice to have him back.

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“It’s brought another level of just … I don’t know if you want to say personality inside of our group, but there’s Javi no matter what we’re doing. If it’s a warmup and the fitness coaches are putting out a little game at the beginning, he’s analyzing and figuring out how to win that game and he’s competing at that. And then he gets everybody on his team in that game competing at that and it’s contagious.”

LAFC (4-0-2) at Galaxy (0-3-3)

When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson

TV: Fox, Apple TV

​ Orange County Register 

Angels promote prospect Zach Neto, send down David Fletcher

• April 15, 2023

BOSTON — The Angels promoted 2022 No. 1 draft pick Zach Neto on Saturday morning and sent infielder David Fletcher to Triple-A, a stunning roster shakeup.

Neto, 22, was hitting .444 with three homers at Double-A, including two homers Friday night. In his career, he’s played just 44 pro games, hitting .322 with a .937 OPS. The shortstop played extensively in spring training this year, demonstrating he is major league-ready defensively, at least.

Fletcher, 28, had slipped on the Angels’ depth chart, starting just four times in their first 13 games. He was 2 for 16. They notably didn’t even use him as a defensive replacement to protect late leads Tuesday and Wednesday.

Fletcher signed a five-year, $26-million deal prior to the 2021 season.

More to come on this story.

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​ Orange County Register 

Yorba Linda’s Adventure Playground is ready after $7 million renovation

• April 15, 2023

Check mark: The water slide works.

Check mark: The zipline zips.

Check mark: Yorba Linda’s beloved Adventure Playground is still a place of exploration and fun after a $7 million renovation.

Community leaders, invited guests and, most importantly, several children, got a sneak peek at the park’s new features Friday night, putting them through their paces.

“This is so great, just a fun place for kids to go and be adventurous,” said Cindy Maddox, visiting with a neighbor. “It is so well thought out and going to be a great thing for the community, I think.”

New features include suspension bridges connecting three towers of a play structure; a splash pad, but this is just a concrete slab with some sprinklers, this is 5,000-square-feet with a waterfall boulder, rocks to clamber over and water sprays; two water slides, including one that stretches more than 170 feet; and bathrooms onsite. There is also a lot more shade offered.

And community favorites, like the opportunity to build forts and the zipline remain – there are now two 100-foot lines for children to ride. And there is the wiffleball field.

Building forts, getting dirty, using their imagination in play during summer camp has been a rite of passage for children growing up in Yorba Linda since the early ’80s. Now several amenities will be open to the community throughout the year, officials said.

“It’s taken a lot of work by a big team of people to reopen this special facility, and while it’salways amazing to see a concept take shape in real life, the execution of this project is trulyexceptional,” Mike Kudron, the city’ s parks and recreation director, said. “As a result, Yorba Linda residents are going to enjoy Adventure Playground for decades to come.”

City officials expect to announce soon an opening date later this month for the playground, but summer camps are already planned, check online at YLRecOnline.com for more information.

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​ Orange County Register 

Tips for growing healthy container plants in the garden, patio or deck

• April 15, 2023

1. If you have a patio or deck, you may be considering adorning it with potted plants. The problem with containerized plants on concrete or wood surfaces is the stains that they create. To prevent such stains, you must elevate your plants above the surfaces involved. You can do this by placing your pots in plant stands or by positioning so-called pot feet under them or their saucers. Saucers present another problem, however, since the water that collects in them may attract mosquitoes. In such cases, if your patio is roofed, you may wish to opt for hanging baskets to house your patio plants. Another solution is to position potted plants on the earth around your patio perimeter. Plants in containers are increasingly finding their way into the garden, especially where the edge of a garden meets the edge of a hardscape feature or driveway. A whole row of container plants just beyond the outside edge of a concrete pool deck or driveway will soften the look and feel of these surfaces.

2. If you are looking for plants suitable for container growing that will bloom from now until the fall, consider these: petunias, although you will need to pinch back growth every now and then to encourage branching; million bells or Calibrachoa, which look like petunias, to which they are related, only with flowers one-third the size; fanflower (Scaevola aemula) in mauve or pink; star clusters (Pentas lanceolata) in red, pink, purple, or white; cannas, which have silky flowers in red, pink, yellow, orange, and white that look like irises and banana leaf foliage that may be striped or variegated in a Joseph’s coat of colors; dragon wing begonias for half day sun. Container plants with non-stop foliar interest include red Abyssiniany banana (Ensete ventricosum var. Rubrum), red African milk bush (Synadenium grantii var. Rubrum), coleus, the otherworldly Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyeriana) with its handsome, lanceolate purplish foliage with silver highlights, and sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas), with cascading leaves in lime green or dark purple.

3. It is essential to thin fruit at this time not only so that your remaining fruit reaches their proper size, but also to keep branches from breaking when they are overloaded with a crop. Peach, nectarine, plum, and apricot branches are especially susceptible to such breakage and, with this possibility in mind, thin peaches and nectarines when they are as small as an inch or two in size so that a space of five inches is created between any two fruit on the same branch. Where plums and apricots are concerned, the distance between any two of them should be three inches. If you want to go exotic in your selection of fruit trees, the place to do it is Papaya Tree Nursery (papayatreenursery.com) in Granada Hills. Select from Persian mulberry, cherimoya, litchi, and dozens of other species that you won’t find in your average plant nursery. San Gabriel Nursery and Florist (sgnursery.com), Laguna Hills Nursery (lagunahillsnursery.com), and Otto & Sons Nursery (ottoandsonsnursery.com) are excellent sources for a large variety of more conventional fruit tree types.

4. Plant asparagus for a generation of spears. The plants do last for several decades and the crop they produce is not getting any cheaper. Asparagus thrives in deep, well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Preparation for planting involves digging a trench one foot deep and one foot wide in a full sun location. Back-fill the trench with four inches of the original soil mixed with a healthy quantity of aged compost. Now spread a 5-10-10 fertilizer and cover with two more inches of compost-enriched soil. Set asparagus crowns (asparagus stem bases plus roots) 18 inches apart, in rows, and cover the crowns with two more inches of soil. As asparagus shoots emerge, shovel additional soil into the trench. Follow the progress of the shoots with a gradual elevation of the soil level until the trench is filled in completely. Asparagus produces two types of growth: the spears that you see on your dinner plate and frizzy, fernlike shoots. These frizzy shoots turn brown during the winter but should not be cut off until spring, allowing the carbohydrate they manufacture to be completely transported down into the roots where it can be stored for later use by developing spears. You can order asparagus crowns by mail order from Stark Brothers (starkbros.com), Keene Garlic (keeneorganics.com), or Gurney’s Seed and Nursery (gurneys.com).

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5. You can enjoy corn throughout summer and fall by planting early, mid-season, and late varieties now. There should be two and a half to three feet between rows. While the earliest varieties will produce just one ear per plant, later varieties will often yield two ears, especially when spacing between plants is twelve inches or more, although plants can be as little as eight inches apart. As long as the pollination periods of the various varieties do not overlap, there is no danger of producing inferior kernels. To ensure pollination, however, especially if you plant in an enclosed area where not much wind blows, or if only a couple dozen plants are involved, you should probably hand pollinate, too. Each corn plant has both male flowers (tassels) and female flowers (silks) but they are separated on the plant, with the tassels sprouting at the top. In order to hand-pollinate, cut off the tassels when they begin to shed pollen, which you then dust onto the silks. Make sure the soil is prepared to the depth of a shovel blade, around six to eight inches deep, with finished homemade compost or a bagged soil amendment prior to planting. Corn is a heavy feeder so you can apply a low-analysis fertilizer recommended for vegetables when the plants reach heights of 16 and 36 inches. To prevent infestation of corn earworms (moth larvae), apply spinosad, a non-toxic organic insecticide to silks and tassels as soon as they appear and make repeat applications every four to five days until you harvest the corn.

Please send questions, comments, and photos to [email protected].

​ Orange County Register 

Clippers vs. Suns: First-round scouting report, prediction

• April 15, 2023

SERIES SCHEDULE

(best-of-seven, all times PT)

Game 1: Sunday at Phoenix, 5 p.m. (TNT/Bally Sports SoCal)

Game 2: Tuesday at Phoenix, 7 p.m. (TNT/Bally Sports SoCal)

Game 3: Thursday at Clippers, 7:30 p.m. (NBA/Bally Sports SoCal)

Game 4: Saturday at Clippers, 12:30 p.m. (TNT/Bally Sports SoCal)

*Game 5: April 25 at Phoenix, time TBD (TV TBD)

*Game 6: April 27 at Clippers, time TBD (TV TBD)

*Game 7: April 29 at Phoenix, time TBD (TV TBD)

*If necessary

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Clippers and Suns split the regular-season series, 2-2

Oct. 23: Suns 112, Clippers 95, at Crypto.com Arena

Dec. 15: Suns 111, Clippers 95, at Crypto.com Arena

Feb. 16: Clippers 116, Suns 107, in Phoenix

April 9: Clippers 119, Suns 114, in Phoenix

TALE OF THE TAPE

Clippers (regular-season rank) … category … Suns (regular-season rank)

44-38 … Season Record … 45-37

113.6 (17th, tied) … PPG … 113.6 (17th, tied)

113.1 (12th) … Opp. PPG … 111.6 (6th)

47.7 (13th) … FG Pct. … 46.7 (23rd)

38.1 (3rd) … 3pt Pct. … 37.4 (7th)

78.1 (18th) … FT Pct. … 79.3 (10th)

43.2 (17th) … Rebounds … 44.2 (11th)

23.9 (24th) … Assists … 27.3 (4th)

7.1 (15th, tied) … Steals … 7.1 (15th, tied)

4.4 (21st) … Blocked Shots … 5.3 (5th)

13.5 (17th) … Turnovers … 12.9 (11th, tied)

STARTING BACKCOURT

Eight-time All-Star Paul George (sprained knee) is expected to be out for this series, leaving the fifth-seeded Clippers with a huge void in the backcourt. But they have nine-time All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, who has proven to be efficient with the Clippers and if he can continue to play within his game (i.e., not try to do too much), he could pose problems for the Suns with his attack to the basket. The Clippers have made 50.9% of their field goal attempts with Westbrook on the court, and they will use Eric Gordon to space the floor with his 3-point shooting. … Fourth-seeded Phoenix has far too much talent in its backcourt to be worried. Devin Booker, when healthy, has enjoyed a career year, averaging 27.8 points. Future Hall of Famer Chris Paul, who memorably scored 41 points in Game 6 of the 2021 Western Conference finals to eliminate his old team, is shooting 44% from the field and averaging 13.9 points and 8.9 assists in 32 minutes per game. EDGE: SUNS

STARTING FRONTCOURT

Kawhi Leonard will be in his well-known playoff mode, but it might not be enough to offset the Suns’ Kevin Durant, who came to Phoenix in a February trade with Brooklyn. With Durant in the lineup, those two teams have lost only once in 22 games. The Suns are unbeaten in eight games with a healthy Durant. With George out with a sprained knee, Leonard has upped his game, posting 40, 25, 27 and 25 points in his past four games but he will also be expected to defend Durant. That could be a tough, draining assignment. Veteran forward Nicolas Batum (39.% from 3-point range) has stepped in admirably for Marcus Morris Sr., who has been out with back spasms. … Suns center Deandre Ayton is the team’s third-leading scorer at 18 ppg and is pulling down an average of 10 rebounds. Clippers center Ivica Zubac averages 10.8 ppg and 9.9 rpg. EDGE: EVEN

BENCHES

The Suns traded most of their key role players to bring Durant to Phoenix, leaving their bench light on talent. The Clippers, meanwhile, have a corps of two-way wing players who can shoot from outside and space the floor. Finding the right combination has been a problem this season, especially when going small. Still, the Clippers have several players, such as Norman Powell, Bones Hyland and Terance Mann who Lue can use to adjust to opponents and exploit their weaknesses. EDGE: CLIPPERS

COACHES

In three seasons with Cleveland, Tyronn Lue led the Cavaliers to three consecutive NBA Finals, winning the 2016 title. In his first season with the Clippers, he guided them to the conference finals, rubber-stamping him as one of the league’s best coaches. Last season, without Leonard, the Clippers lost a pair of play-in tournament games (they were also without George for the second one). … Phoenix coach Monty Williams led the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals and was named the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year after guiding them to a league-best 64-18 record before they lost in the second round of the playoffs. EDGE: CLIPPERS

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INTANGIBLES

It remains to be seen how George’s absence will affect the Clippers’ chances of advancing. The All-Star wing is coming off a sprained knee and is expected to be back should the team reach the second round. The Clippers’ deep bench will be counted on to pick up the slack. Westbrook could be the X-factor the Clippers need. … Williams is faced with putting together a rotation with few pieces who are not named Durant, Booker or Paul, but that threesome is considered a threat to anyone’s title hopes. EDGE: SUNS

SERIES PREDICTION

Although both rosters have undergone significant changes since the 2021 conference finals, the Clippers would love nothing more to avenge that outcome. Any team facing the Suns would surely rather meet them now, when they are still trying to develop chemistry with Durant, as opposed to later in the postseason when they could find their stride. Even with Leonard’s reputation for elevating his teams in the postseason, George’s absence cannot be discounted. The rest of the team faces a heavy lift against the star-studded Suns. SUNS IN FIVE

​ Orange County Register