The Phoenix Suns closed out the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, opening up a second round of NBA Playoffs matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. After tying the game at 99-99 with 25 seconds left in regulation, Chris Paul put himself into an optimal position to close it out by stealing a pass from Jrue Holiday and hitting two free throws.
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NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — With the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in jeopardy due to a star’s injury and a resurgent Pelicans club, future Hall of Famer Chris Paul produced a landmark series performance, including his greatest shooting game of his career to close off the series.
Paul set NBA playoff history by becoming the first player to hit 14-of-14 shots on his route to 33 points in a comeback 115-109 Game 6 win on Thursday night, riding his favorite play.
Only Wilt Chamberlain has made more without missing a shot, shooting 18-of-18 and 16-of-16 in regular-season games, respectively.
With 28 seconds remaining, Paul’s greatest shot was a 10-foot pull-up in the lane that bounced around the rim before sinking. Paul was certainly the difference-maker in moving his team to the second round, with two 19-point fourth quarters earlier in the series and a 16-point first half in Game 5.
“You have no idea how significant it is for me,” Paul said, noting that he spent his first six seasons in New Orleans and had many ties with the city and the Pelicans. “I had no idea (and hadn’t missed anything). I knew after halftime that I needed to shoot a little bit more.”
Devin Booker has been out for three and a half games due to a hamstring ailment. Booker fought back to play on Thursday, but he wasn’t quite himself, scoring only 13 points. But he did hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 1:42 remaining, off a pass from Paul, to give the Suns the lead for good.
“Nobody has ever seen this, 14-for-14, it gives you the highest confidence playing alongside him,” Booker said, denying Paul a perfect night and demanding $100 to pay a wager over Paul’s more than two turnovers (he had 3 with eight assists).
“I was only checking to see whether my body was ready. I felt confident in it because I had tried it, had done some solid work the day before, and I knew the adrenaline would set in.”
The Pelicans threw everything at him but Paul scored on seven different defenders. Most of them came in his trademark style, from the midrange off screens set by Deandre Ayton as he repeatedly got to his favorite spots for comfortable shots despite pressure. Paul made 11 shots outside the paint, the most without a miss in the NBA in the last 25 years, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Suns rode their luck in the third quarter, scoring 13 of their first 14 shots after halftime to cut the Pelicans’ advantage to ten points. Paul hit six jumpers in the quarter, but Ayton, who had made his first seven attempts, only hit two. Ayton scored 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting, delivering a devastating 1-2 punch.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, Paul and Ayton’s combined 24-for-26 shooting was the greatest combined field goal percentage by teammates (92.3 percent) in a playoff game in the shot-clock era (minimum 20 tries).
“I don’t believe in heat checks since I don’t shoot nearly enough to warrant one, and if I miss, I may get chilly,” Paul said. “They were letting me get to my areas in a way.”
“However, I believe in the heat check,” Booker said. “Than me, 14-for-15 is preferable to 14-of-14. One of these games will never be mine.”
Overall, Paul went a combined 18-for-18 on field goals and free throws, becoming just the fifth player to achieve that perfection in the shot clock era and the first to do so in the playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The Suns also modified their approach against Pelicans standout Brandon Ingram, who had been difficult to deal with for the most of the series. Coach Monty Williams used double teams on Ingram, and he battled to find open space, making just 8 of 17 attempts for 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Paul, on the other hand, had a night and a series all to himself.
“It’s wonderful when you win and he accomplishes it in a close-out game,” Williams added. “We have a saying: “Everything is a celebration.” And when a guy like Chris, who has given so much to the game and put in so much effort to get to where he is, has a night like today, you want to make sure you acknowledge it.”
