Chris Paul leads Suns past Clippers 130-103, into NBA Finals
LOS ANGELES (AP) Tears welled in Chris Paul's eyes. A message in black ink on his shoes said it all: Can't give up now.
Not when, after 16 years, he will finally play for an NBA title.
Paul led the Phoenix Suns into their first NBA Finals in 28 years, beating the Los Angeles Clippers 130-103 on Wednesday night to close out the Western Conference finals in six games.
''I was on a don't-lose mission,'' Paul said. ''Just a lot of emotion. A lot of (things) going on.''
Paul scored 41 points and Devin Booker added 22 to send the Suns to their third finals appearance in franchise history. They will face either the Atlanta Hawks or Milwaukee Bucks, who are tied 2-2 in the East finals.
''He was tired,'' Suns coach Monty Williams said of Paul. ''He was still making those kind of plays, getting to the basket, 3s, orchestrating everything.
''He has persevered through a lot - injuries, playoff heartbreak.''
Paul missed the first two games against the Clippers after testing positive for the coronavirus. He injured his shoulder in the first round against the Lakers. Add in numerous surgeries and making the conference finals one other time, only to fall short.
''It's been a lot, I'm telling you,'' he said.
Paul reached the NBA Finals for the first time on the same Staples Center court where he helped bring the Clippers to respectability over six seasons that ended in 2017 without ever getting past the second round. The 36-year-old guard punished his old team with 31 points in the second half and tied his playoff career high of 41 - the same amount Paul George had in pushing the Clippers to a road win in Game 5.
''I'm just so happy for all the people around me,'' Paul said on the court after the game, ''and the Clippers are my family, too. These fans, Billy Crystal, that's my family. This is a team I have the utmost respect for, I'll always be a Clipper.
''But this group right here, this group right here,'' he said, gesturing at his Suns teammates wearing NBA Finals hats.
The West trophy glinted under the arena lights as orange-clad Suns fans outcheered boos from Clippers fans. Paul's family, including leaping 12-year-old son, Chris, celebrated in a suite.
''This is what we set out to get tonight, so we didn't want to go back to Phoenix without it,'' Booker said.
Phoenix is the first team to reach the NBA Finals after a 10-year playoff drought. The Suns had the league's second-best record in this pandemic-interrupted season. They knocked off the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round and swept Denver in the semifinals.
The Suns last made the NBA Finals in 1993, when they were led by Charles Barkley and lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games.
Their only other finals appearance was in 1976, a loss to the Boston Celtics in six games.
Things got chippy in the fourth. Going into a timeout with 5:48 remaining, Paul stared at Patrick Beverley as he walked by. Beverley turned around and shoved Paul hard in the back, sending him to the floor. Beverley was ejected.
''We knew we broke them,'' Jae Crowder said. ''There's no better sign. That's a great feeling to have.''
Marcus Morris led the Clippers with 26 points despite playing with a sore knee. George had 21 points and nine rebounds coming off his career playoff high that staved off elimination and brought his team back home for another chance.
But the exhausted Clippers - who rallied from 0-2 series deficits in getting to the West finals for the first time in franchise history - had little left in the tank. They were again without two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who has been out with a right knee spain, and center Ivica Zubac. He missed his second straight game because of a MCL sprain in his right knee.
Leonard moved from a suite to the bench for the game, his eyes staring from behind a black mask.
George said the series would have been different with Leonard available.
''You are talking about one of the best players being out and we are inches from being to the next round,'' he said. ''It's a lot of what-ifs, but we didn't make it.''
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said, ''I thought we ran out of gas. For that first half, we made a lot of mistakes mentally. That tells you guys are tired.''
Paul dominated over the end of the third and well into the fourth, scoring 14 of Phoenix's 16 points after the Clippers closed within seven late in the third. He hit three 3-pointers in the final quarter, falling on his back and getting fouled on one of them.
''I kept asking him, `You tasting it? You tasting it?''' Crowder said. ''He said, `No.'''
But with an unbeatable lead, Paul and the other starters sat down.
''He's like, `I'm tasting it now,''' Crowder said, smiling. ''It's great to see him get over the hump.''
The Suns stretched their lead to 17 points in the third, dulling the Staples Center crowd. Five different players scored, highlighted by Crowder's fifth 3-pointer and Booker's dunk. Crowder finished with 19 points. Deandre Ayton added 16 points and 17 rebounds.
''Phoenix did a hell of a job,'' Lue said. ''CP was fantastic. Booker is a star at a young age and they have a good foundation. They played a hell of a series and go from there.''
The Clippers briefly re-energized themselves and the fans with a 10-0 run that drew them to 89-82. Morris and Nicolas Batum each hit 3-pointers.
But Paul closed on his own 8-0 run, including two 3-pointers, that sent the Suns into the fourth leading 97-83.
Booker ditched the clear plastic mask he'd worn to protect his broken nose in the last three games. He got elbowed in the nose defending George at the end of the third, and brought the mask back out in the fourth. Moments later, DeMarcus Cousins earned a technical foul for elbowing Paul in the neck.
TIP-INS
Suns: They were 17 of 31 from 3-point range and owned a 54-34 edge in the paint. ... Tied 50-all, the Suns outscored the Clippers 16-7, propelled by Crowder's 13 points - including three 3-pointers - to go into halftime leading 66-57.
Clippers: George scored at least 20 points in his first 19 games to begin the playoffs. ... He had six points in the half on 3-of-8 shooting, missing all three of his 3-point attempts.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Deandre Ayton vs. Terance Mann (Chris Paul gains possession) | |||
11:24 | +2 | Patrick Beverley makes two point floating jump shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 2-2 | |
11:09 | +3 | Jae Crowder makes three point jump shot (Chris Paul assists) | 5-2 | |
10:42 | Clippers turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
10:26 | Reggie Jackson defensive rebound | |||
10:13 | Chris Paul defensive rebound | |||
10:04 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
9:19 | Paul George misses three point jump shot | |||
9:18 | Jae Crowder defensive rebound | |||
9:06 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
9:00 | +2 | Patrick Beverley makes two point driving layup | 7-4 | |
8:42 | Patrick Beverley blocks Chris Paul's two point jump shot | |||
8:36 | +2 | Paul George makes two point layup | 7-6 | |
7:50 | +3 | Patrick Beverley makes three point jump shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 9-9 | |
7:10 | Mikal Bridges defensive rebound | |||
6:46 | +3 | Chris Paul makes three point jump shot | 15-9 | |
6:07 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
5:52 | +2 | Marcus Morris Sr. makes two point step back jump shot | 15-13 | |
5:49 | Devin Booker offensive foul (Patrick Beverley draws the foul) | |||
5:30 | Reggie Jackson misses two point turnaround jump shot | |||
5:28 | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | |||
5:17 | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point hook shot | 17-13 | |
5:02 | +2 | Paul George makes two point driving hook shot | 17-15 | |
4:51 | Jae Crowder misses three point jump shot | |||
4:49 | Marcus Morris Sr. defensive rebound | |||
4:30 | Terance Mann offensive rebound | |||
4:27 | Jump ball. Devin Booker vs. Terance Mann (Deandre Ayton gains possession) | |||
4:27 | Terance Mann turnover (lost ball) (Devin Booker steals) | |||
4:14 | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point layup (Mikal Bridges assists) | 19-15 | |
4:00 | +3 | Reggie Jackson makes three point jump shot (Patrick Beverley assists) | 19-18 | |
3:38 | Deandre Ayton turnover (Reggie Jackson steals) | |||
3:38 | Cameron Payne personal foul (Marcus Morris Sr. draws the foul) | |||
3:21 | +2 | Nicolas Batum makes two point layup (Paul George assists) | 19-20 | |
2:56 | Nicolas Batum misses three point jump shot | |||
2:54 | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | |||
2:23 | Suns 60 second timeout | |||
2:08 | Jae Crowder defensive rebound | |||
1:59 | Marcus Morris Sr. blocks Cameron Payne's two point driving layup | |||
1:59 | Suns offensive rebound | |||
1:37 | DeMarcus Cousins misses two point hook shot | |||
1:36 | Cameron Payne defensive rebound | |||
1:08 | Devin Booker defensive rebound | |||
0:52 | +3 | DeMarcus Cousins makes three point jump shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 28-23 | |
0:38 | +3 | Devin Booker makes three point jump shot (Cameron Payne assists) | 31-23 | |
0:32 | +3 | Reggie Jackson makes three point jump shot | 31-26 | |
0:12 | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point alley-oop layup (Devin Booker assists) | 33-26 | |
0:05 | Torrey Craig personal foul (Take) (Reggie Jackson draws the foul) | |||
0:01 | Clippers offensive rebound | |||
0:00 | +3 | DeMarcus Cousins makes three point jump shot (Nicolas Batum assists) | 33-29 | |
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:43 | +1 | DeMarcus Cousins makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-31 | |
11:30 | +2 | Cameron Payne makes two point floating jump shot | 35-31 | |
11:07 | DeMarcus Cousins misses two point layup | |||
10:44 | +3 | Dario Saric makes three point jump shot (Cameron Payne assists) | 38-33 | |
10:26 | +1 | DeMarcus Cousins makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-35 | |
10:14 | +2 | Chris Paul makes two point jump shot | 40-35 | |
10:01 | Abdel Nader defensive rebound | |||
9:48 | +3 | Dario Saric makes three point jump shot (Chris Paul assists) | 43-35 | |
9:32 | Paul George turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
9:14 | +2 | Cameron Payne makes two point driving layup | 45-35 | |
8:57 | Marcus Morris Sr. misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
8:57 | Clippers offensive rebound | |||
8:24 | Clippers misses three point jump shot | |||
8:21 | Nicolas Batum offensive rebound | |||
8:18 | +2 | Paul George makes two point driving layup | 45-38 | |
8:10 | Suns offensive rebound | |||
8:10 | +1 | Dario Saric makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 46-38 | |
7:54 | +2 | Marcus Morris Sr. makes two point jump shot (Patrick Beverley assists) | 46-40 | |
7:30 | Dario Saric turnover (Patrick Beverley steals) | |||
7:24 | Nicolas Batum misses two point jump shot | |||
7:21 | Devin Booker defensive rebound | |||
7:17 | Torrey Craig misses three point jump shot | |||
7:17 | Clippers defensive rebound | |||
6:46 | +2 | Chris Paul makes two point jump shot | 48-43 | |
6:26 | +2 | Patrick Beverley makes two point driving layup | 48-45 | |
6:16 | Jae Crowder misses three point jump shot | |||
6:15 | Jae Crowder personal foul (Nicolas Batum draws the foul) | |||
5:39 | Patrick Beverley misses three point jump shot | |||
5:39 | Terance Mann personal foul (Jae Crowder draws the foul) | |||
5:23 | +2 | Devin Booker makes two point driving dunk | 50-47 | |
5:05 | +2 | Reggie Jackson makes two point floating jump shot | 50-49 | |
4:49 | Deandre Ayton offensive rebound | |||
4:25 | Cameron Payne defensive rebound | |||
4:15 | Cameron Payne misses three point jump shot | |||
4:05 | Jae Crowder personal foul | |||
4:05 | +1 | Patrick Beverley makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 53-52 | |
3:29 | Reggie Jackson misses three point jump shot | |||
3:30 | Clippers turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
3:20 | Devin Booker misses two point jump shot | |||
3:16 | +2 | Jae Crowder makes two point jump shot (Cameron Payne assists) | 58-52 | |
2:56 | Torrey Craig blocks Patrick Beverley's two point driving layup | |||
2:51 | Devin Booker misses three point jump shot | |||
2:51 | Suns offensive rebound | |||
2:51 | Terance Mann personal foul (Loose ball) (Jae Crowder draws the foul) | |||
2:51 | +1 | Jae Crowder makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 59-52 | |
2:51 | +1 | Jae Crowder makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 60-52 | |
2:17 | Cameron Payne misses two point driving layup | |||
2:13 | +3 | Jae Crowder makes three point jump shot (Cameron Payne assists) | 63-54 | |
1:59 | +3 | Marcus Morris Sr. makes three point jump shot (Reggie Jackson assists) | 63-57 | |
1:32 | Reggie Jackson misses three point jump shot | |||
1:22 | Devin Booker misses two point step back jump shot | |||
1:17 | Deandre Ayton misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
1:15 | Nicolas Batum defensive rebound | |||
0:50 | Jae Crowder defensive rebound | |||
0:30 | Devin Booker misses two point step back jump shot | |||
0:27 | Deandre Ayton offensive rebound | |||
0:00 | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:46 | Deandre Ayton personal foul (Paul George draws the foul) | |||
11:37 | Suns personal foul | |||
11:37 | Paul George misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
11:34 | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | |||
11:12 | Marcus Morris Sr. defensive rebound | |||
11:08 | +1 | Reggie Jackson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 66-59 | |
11:08 | +1 | Reggie Jackson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 66-60 | |
10:49 | Patrick Beverley defensive rebound | |||
10:50 | Patrick Beverley turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | |||
10:41 | +2 | Suns makes two point jump shot | 68-60 | |
10:32 | Devin Booker blocks Terance Mann's two point layup | |||
9:56 | +3 | Jae Crowder makes three point jump shot (Mikal Bridges assists) | 71-62 | |
9:47 | Jae Crowder personal foul | |||
9:47 | +1 | Paul George makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 71-64 | |
9:32 | Mikal Bridges misses three point jump shot | |||
9:14 | Terance Mann misses two point driving layup | |||
8:42 | Terance Mann misses three point jump shot | |||
8:31 | Chris Paul misses two point jump shot | |||
8:29 | Paul George defensive rebound | |||
8:16 | Jae Crowder shooting foul (Terance Mann draws the foul) | |||
8:16 | +1 | Terance Mann makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 73-65 | |
8:02 | +2 | Mikal Bridges makes two point driving layup | 75-65 | |
7:44 | +2 | Paul George makes two point jump shot (Patrick Beverley assists) | 76-67 | |
7:22 | Torrey Craig offensive rebound | |||
7:15 | +2 | Chris Paul makes two point floating jump shot | 78-67 | |
6:58 | +2 | Devin Booker makes two point driving dunk | 80-67 | |
6:42 | Mikal Bridges personal foul (Marcus Morris Sr. draws the foul) | |||
6:01 | +2 | Clippers makes two point jump shot | 82-70 | |
5:33 | Devin Booker misses two point jump shot | |||
5:16 | Devin Booker defensive rebound | |||
5:12 | Chris Paul misses two point jump shot | |||
5:10 | Deandre Ayton offensive rebound | |||
5:10 | Marcus Morris Sr. personal foul (Deandre Ayton draws the foul) | |||
5:03 | Deandre Ayton turnover (lost ball) (DeMarcus Cousins steals) | |||
4:51 | DeMarcus Cousins misses three point jump shot | |||
4:42 | +3 | Torrey Craig makes three point jump shot (Devin Booker assists) | 85-70 | |
4:29 | Chris Paul shooting foul (Paul George draws the foul) | |||
4:29 | +1 | Paul George makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 85-71 | |
4:17 | +2 | Devin Booker makes two point floating jump shot (Cameron Payne assists) | 87-72 | |
4:01 | +2 | Mikal Bridges makes two point layup (Torrey Craig assists) | 89-72 | |
3:25 | Marcus Morris Sr. defensive rebound | |||
3:12 | Torrey Craig personal foul (Paul George draws the foul) | |||
3:12 | +1 | Paul George makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 89-75 | |
3:12 | +1 | Paul George makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 89-76 | |
2:57 | Devin Booker misses two point jump shot | |||
2:48 | +3 | Clippers makes three point jump shot | 89-79 | |
2:26 | DeMarcus Cousins blocks Cameron Payne's two point driving layup | |||
2:13 | Paul George misses two point jump shot | |||
2:08 | DeMarcus Cousins misses two point putback layup | |||
1:43 | +3 | Nicolas Batum makes three point jump shot (Marcus Morris Sr. assists) | 89-82 | |
1:43 | Suns 60 second timeout | |||
1:15 | Clippers personal foul | |||
1:15 | Paul George turnover (offensive foul) | |||
0:55 | +2 | Suns makes two point jump shot | 94-82 | |
0:55 | Chris Paul misses technical free throw 1 of 1 | |||
0:55 | Clippers defensive rebound | |||
0:34 | Marcus Morris Sr. misses two point reverse layup | |||
0:28 | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | |||
0:01 | Suns defensive rebound | |||
0:01 | +1 | Paul George makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 97-83 | |
0:01 | Nicolas Batum kicked ball violation |