Despite the absence of top scorer and All-Star Devin Booker, the Phoenix Suns secured a 114-111 away win over New Orleans on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round match. Suns guard and future Hall of Famer Chris Paul was nothing short of phenomenal on the stretch, scoring 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to fend off the pesky Pelicans while sharing 14 assists.
Deandre Ayton was a beast inside, putting up 28 points and 17 rebounds to go with three steals and a block, while Mikal Bridges added 17 points and went 9-on-9 from the free throw line and made some clutch points on the stretch . The Pelicans were led by Brandon Ingram with 34 points and seven rebounds while running mate CJ McCollum added 30 points and seven assists.
Game 4 takes place in New Orleans on Sunday, but before we get to that, let’s take a look at four key takeaways from Game 3, followed by a recap of our live updates from the evening.
1. CP4
In three quarters, Paul had nine points and for the most part had been trying to set up his teammates while staying on offense. When the fourth quarter came and the game was close, Paul went to work as only he can. With the Suns a point down with six minutes left, Paul made four straight midfield jumps to give his team a five-point lead.
Paul set this up by passing the ball to his teammates (mainly Ayton) for most of the game. In the crunch period, he used the extra cushion to get to his spots and do jumpers, which to him at this point in his career are essentially layups.
“In the fourth quarter [Ayton] told me at time out, he said, ‘C, I’ll let you go. Shoot the ball,” Paul said after the game. “That he’s so outspoken is great for our team because we need him and we trust him.”
In addition to his midfield magic, Paul also smashed all four of his free throws when the Pelicans fouled in the final minute to ensure there was no chance of a comeback. With Booker not in the lineup, Paul knew he would have to work as a goalscorer later, and he played brilliantly.
2. Faceoff ball
During the regular season, the Suns ranked second in the league with 16.2 middle-range shot attempts per game, according to NBA.com. It makes sense since these are often the shots that defense bait offense to, and Phoenix has two of the best midrange shooters in the league in Booker and Paul. However, the Suns changed their game plan with Booker out Friday night, forgoing middle-class jumpers in favor of good old-fashioned faceoff.
Phoenix outplayed the Pelicans 64-40 and, barring Paul, attempted just four shots from middle range all game, of which he made three. The rest came from inside the button or from behind the 3-point line.
Ayton was a monster on the inside, tying together everything from dunks to jump hooks en route to his playoff career-high 28 points.
Ayton wasn’t the only Suns center to do damage, either. JaVale McGee was the top offensive threat off the bench, scoring 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting, all of which, as you’d expect, came in the paint. The Suns managed to win despite only having four 3-pointers on the night, which is difficult in the modern NBA unless you absolutely dominate the color.
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3. Stars disappear for New Orleans
Ingram was phenomenal on Friday, particularly in the third quarter, but there was a period towards the end of the game when he was noticeably absent. Ingram checked in at the 6:32 mark of the fourth quarter and had just one shot attempt – knocking down an elbow jumper – as Paul and the Suns built the lead to nine points with less than a minute left. Ingram scored nine points in the final 49 seconds but they were desperate shots as the game was already out of reach.
During that crucial period, when Ingram had only one shot attempt, Jose Alvarado missed a hard layup and Larry Nance Jr. missed two 3-pointers. McCollum’s layup with 1:55 left was his first shot attempt since the 7:53 mark. Alvarado and Nance were both great for the Pelicans, but the Pelicans just had to find a way to capitalize on their two best scoring and playmaking opportunities. Instead, they failed to stem the tide, and the Chris Paul machine sent them home with a loss.
4. Temper flares up
Pelicans big man Jaxson Hayes and Suns forward Jae Crowder went back and forth with some trash talk early in the game and things boiled over just over five minutes before half-time. As Crowder prepared to go after a rebound, Hayes came tumbling in from the perimeter and delivered a rather vicious shove to Crowder in the back. After review, Hayes was scored a blatant 2 and kicked out of the game.
Hayes has been crucial at both ends for the Pelicans this season, so there’s no telling how much his absence affected the outcome of the game. It will also be interesting to see how Hayes and Crowder interact for the remainder of the series.