Chris Paul scored 19 in the fourth quarter to lead the Suns to a Game 1 win. There is a time limit.
Chris Paul heard his former teammate and coach Willie Green instruct his New Orleans Pelicans players to dare him to shoot. After Paul eviscerated the strategy, he let his friend know.
Paul, who will turn 37 in three weeks, became the oldest player to record 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game as he led the top-seeded Phoenix Suns to a 110-99 victory in Game 1 of their first-round series on Sunday.
He passed Steve Nash, who was a member of the Suns at the time. Paul is one of only five players in history to have 10 playoff games with 30 points and 10 assists. Michael Jordan has 15 such games, followed by LeBron James with 22.
Paul scored 17 points in a five-minute stretch in the fourth quarter to crush a New Orleans comeback attempt. When Green tried to have his defenders give Paul space by going under pick-and-rolls, it backfired when Paul made three 3-pointers in a row as he attacked a switch defense that left him up against the slower Larry Nance Jr.
Paul looked over at Green several times after splashing shots. It is a part of the game.
Green, who was an assistant with the Suns last season and played with Paul on the LA Clippers and then-New Orleans Hornets, used a bench-heavy lineup that cut a 23-point Phoenix lead down to just six by early in the fourth quarter.
Paul broke the strategy when he called for center Deandre Ayton to set a screen and force Nance into a switch. Green had to take Nance out of the game because he was very effective with Paul on the bench.
Green said that the mix-ups were on his part as a coach. I need to do better with that coverage. Chris, this is what he does.
| Player | Age | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun. | Chris Paul | 36(y)-346(d) | PHX |
| 2010 | Steve Nash | 36(y)-85(d) | PHX |
| 2020 | LeBron James | 35(y)-271(d) | LAL |
| -- ESPN Stats & Information |
The Suns scored 31 points in the fourth quarter. His 19 points in the final quarter were the second-most of his career.
The Suns star said that the man is a true competitor and a winner. He is built for these moments.
The Suns held the Pelicans to 22% shooting in the first half as Mikal Bridges smothered a guard and was named a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. When Bridges was the primary defender, the Pelicans shot just 2-of-16. He missed 16 shots and 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611 888-270-6611
Paul had three steals.
Suns coach Monty Williams said that Chris has that innate feel for taking over a game.
Andrew Lopez contributed to the report.
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