Suns' Chris Paul: Scores 10 points in Game 7 blowout
Rotowire
Paul ended Sunday's 123-90 loss to Dallas in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals with 10 points (4-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 1-2 FT), one rebound, four assists and one steal across 31 minutes.
After a fantastic start to the postseason, and this second-round series, the wheels started to come off for Paul over the last few games. He scored just five points (2-4 FG) in Game 4, seven points (3-8 FG) in Game 5 and 13 points (4-7 FG) in Game 6 before another muted effort Sunday. In all five of those games, Paul failed to attempt more than nine shots and was noticeably less aggressive than he was in Round 1 against New Orleans. After the game, Marc Spears of ESPN reported that Paul was walking with a noticeable limp due to a left quad injury, but the 37-year-old declined to comment on the situation. In his postgame presser, Paul made it clear that he has no plans to walk away from the game after another playoff disappointment. "We'll be right back here next year," Paul said. "I'm not retiring."
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Dishes 10 assists
Rotowire
Paul recorded seven points (3-8 FG, 1-3 3PT), 10 assists, two rebounds and one steal during Tuesday's 110-80 win over Dallas.
Paul has been quiet in the scoring column since his 28-point outburst in Game 2, but he's still found his teammates for easy looks. The 12-time All-Star will try to reach the third Western Conference Finals appearance of his illustrious career.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Fouls out in ugly loss
Rotowire
Paul registered five points (2-4 FG, 1-1 3Pt), five rebounds, seven assists and one steal in 23 minutes before fouling out of Sunday's 111-101 loss to Dallas.
Paul dealt with foul trouble for the entire contest and was unable to make a positive impact on Game 4. The veteran point guard struggled during both matchups in Dallas and will look to bounce back when the series shifts back to Phoenix on Tuesday.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Tallies 28 points Wednesday
Rotowire
Paul chipped in 28 points (11-16 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six rebounds, eight assists and one steal over 36 minutes during Wednesday's 129-109 win over the Mavericks.
Paul was again very efficient from the field, making 11 of 16 shots to finish just behind Devin Booker (30 points) for team high-scoring honors. The veteran point guard also led Phoenix with eight assists and finished second with six boards on the night. It's a bit surprising that Paul has gone three games without a double-digit assist performance, but over that stretch he is averaging 26.7 points on an eye-popping 74.4 percent field-goal conversion rate.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Unusually low assist total in win
Rotowire
Paul totaled 19 points (7-13 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal across 29 minutes during Monday's 121-114 win over the Mavericks.
Paul was uncharacteristically more of a scorer than a distributor in the victory, finishing with his lowest assist total of any game during the playoffs or regular season. The veteran point guard did contribute 19 points, however, and he turned the ball over only once across 29 minutes. Paul will likely do more as a passer to live up to the Point God moniker he has rightfully earned, though he has shown throughout the campaign that he is capable of leading Phoenix to victory in multiple ways.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Record-setting effort in Game 6
Rotowire
Paul contributed 33 points (14-14 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, eight assists and one steal over 36 minutes during Thursday's 115-109 victory over the Pelicans.
The 14 made field goals without a miss was the most in NBA playoff history, as Paul etched his name into the record books while leading the Suns into the second round. Thursday's performance was also the first time in the series he failed to reach double digits in dimes, as Paul averaged 22.3 points, 11.3 assists, 4.3 boards, 1.8 steals and 1.3 threes in six games against New Orleans. Next up for the veteran point guard and his teammates is a clash with Dallas beginning Monday in Phoenix.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Posts 22-point double-double in win
Rotowire
Paul put up 22 points (8-18 FG, 6-6 FT), 11 assists, six rebounds and three steals during Tuesday's 112-97 win over New Orleans.
Paul recorded his fifth double-double in his last six games and 38th of the season. Aside from his four-point Game 4 performance, the veteran guard has seen a huge scoring boost while Devin Booker (hamstring) remains out.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Scores four points in Game 4 loss
Rotowire
Paul posted four points (2-8 FG, 0-3 3Pt), three rebounds, 11 assists and two steals over 35 minutes during Sunday's 118-103 loss to New Orleans.
While Paul did provide his usual, elite assists production, it was essentially a no-show for the future Hall of Famer in the scoring department. He took only eight shots in 35 minutes and did not attempt a free throw for the first time in the series. With Devin Booker (hamstring) expected to be sidelined through at least the end of the series, it goes without saying that Phoenix will need significantly more from Paul if it hopes to re-take control of the series in Game 5 on Tuesday night.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Goes for 19 in fourth quarter
Rotowire
Paul put up 28 points (10-18 FG, 1-6 3PT, 7-8 FT), 14 assists, four rebounds and one steal in Friday's 114-111 win over New Orleans.
Paul dished 14 assists for the second straight game and scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth to give Phoenix a crucial road win. The 12-time All-Star is averaging 25.0 points, 12.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per contest through the first three games of the series.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Collects 14 assists in loss
Rotowire
Paul logged 17 points (5-16 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 5-5 FT), one rebound, 14 assists and one steal across 36 minutes during Tuesday's 125-114 loss to the Pelicans.
Paul willed his team to victory in the second half of Game 1, but his shot wasn't nearly as accurate in Game 2. His pure three-point stroke failed him Tuesday night, and he may need to regain it quickly, especially with Devin Booker (hamstring) potentially missing multiple games. Despite the scoring regression, Paul still reigns as the NBA's top assist man, and his totals in that category can salvage even the most meager of scoring outputs.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Erupts for 30 in Game 1 win
Rotowire
Paul logged 30 points (12-16 FG, 4-6 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, 10 assists, one block and three steals in 35 minutes during Sunday's 110-99 victory over New Orleans.
The Suns controlled the game from the opening tip, but the Pelicans mounted a late rally to cut the lead to single digits in the fourth quarter. That was before Paul led a furious run to slam the door shut, scoring 17 points in a five-minute stretch to fend off New Orleans and put the game away for good. The 37-year-old continued his late-career renaissance, becoming the oldest player in league history to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. His ultra-efficient night from the floor contributed to an overall 53.8 percent shooting effort by the Suns, who got 25 points from Devin Booker and 21 from Deandre Ayton.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Resting Sunday
Rotowire
Paul will be rested for Sunday's game against the Kings.
The Suns will sit several regulars, including Deandre Ayton, Devin Booker and Jae Crowder as they cruise into the postseason with the best record in the league. Paul will be back in the lineup at his usual point guard spot when the Suns begin their Round 1 playoff series next weekend.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Goes for 16 and 16 in win
Rotowire
Paul registered 16 points (7-11 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, 16 assists and two steals across 38 minutes during Friday's 111-105 victory over the Jazz.
The Suns rallied back from a big fourth-quarter deficit to hand Utah its latest crushing loss, and Paul led the way with another fantastic statistical effort. After resting for Thursday's game against the Clippers, the veteran saw a full workload (38 minutes) and racked up his highest assists total since Feb. 10.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Set to play Friday
Rotowire
Paul is not listed on the injury report for Friday's game against Utah.
The implication is that Paul will be back in the lineup after he rested for Wednesday night's game against the Clippers. The Suns may be careful with the veteran's workload heading into the postseason, however.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: One of several Suns resting
Rotowire
Paul will be rested for Wednesday's game against the Clippers.
The Suns will hold several regulars out of the second half of their final back-to-back set of the season. Paul played only 24 minutes during Tuesday night's evisceration of the Lakers, finishing with six points, four rebounds, 12 assists and two steals. Cameron Payne will likely draw the start in his place Wednesday.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Drops 12 dimes in win
Rotowire
Paul supplied six points (3-7 FG, 0-2 3Pt), four rebounds, 12 assists and two steals across 24 minutes during Tuesday's 121-110 victory over the Lakers.
Paul still holds a slim lead in the assist category, averaging 10.7 assists per game. That's 0.6 assists more than James Harden, who trails him as second-best in the league. The veteran point guard tends to show some of his best stuff in the playoffs, so expect him to keep rolling as the Suns make a run for the Finals.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Approaches double-double
Rotowire
Paul recorded 11 points (5-11 FG, 1-2 FT), nine assists, three steals and two rebounds in the 117-96 loss to the Thunder on Sunday.
Paul has now picked up three steals in back-to-back games and has finished with at least one in 16 straight. Phoenix wasn't able to do much offensively without Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, but Paul was still able to find his teammates to get good looks while remaining impactful defensively.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Double-digit assists not enough
Rotowire
Paul finished with eight points (2-6 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-5 FT), 11 assists, three steals and one rebound in the 122-114 loss to Memphis on Friday.
Paul's performance was just the sixth time this season he's taken six or fewer shots in a game, but he remained productive offensively as a facilitator. Look for him to get more involved in the scoring column down the stretch.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Point God in full stride
Rotowire
Paul supplied 19 points (9-15 FG, 1-3 3Pt), four rebounds, 14 assists, one block and one steal in 36 minutes during Sunday's 114-104 win over the 76ers.
Paul has recorded 27 assists versus just four turnovers in two games since returning from his thumb injury. He logged a team-high plus-25 in the box score Sunday. Paul is likely to get some maintenance days down the final stretch, with Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet being the subsequent beneficiaries.
... See More... See Less
Suns' Chris Paul: Shows no rust in return
Rotowire
Paul (thumb) supplied 17 points (6-10 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 13 assists, four rebounds, one block and one steal across 30 minutes during Thursday's 140-130 win over the Nuggets.
Paul missed each of the Suns' previous 15 games with a fractured right thumb, but he didn't appear hampered at all by the injury -- or the long layoff -- against the Nuggets. The veteran point guard shot well from the field and displayed his usual playmaking acumen to help Phoenix put up a whopping 140 points. Paul played 30 minutes Thursday, which is a strong sign that he won't be limited moving forward.
