The NBA playoffs continue, pelicans vs. suns, in the eyes of fans this is the most suspenseful series, the suns have an absolute advantage in both lineup depth and playoff experience, the first battle between the two sides, the sun won a big win to get a big score 1-0 lead. In the first quarter of the game, the Suns played an 8-2 start, entered the state very fast, the second half of the book broke out, the single quarter cut 16 points, but the Pelicans outside the three-pointers felt hot, the first quarter ended, the Suns trailed by 2 points; in the second quarter, Booker continued the feel of the first quarter, and then cut 15 points in the single quarter, the Pelicans' offensive efficiency was also very high, the shooting rate was as high as 50%, the point difference has not been opened, the first half of the battle, the Suns led 5 points into the second half.
In the third quarter, there was an accident on the court, Booker suffered an injury and left the field early, the burden of attack fell on Paul, but the Pelicans quickly overtook the score under the leadership of Ingram, and after the third quarter, the Suns fell behind by 7 points; in the key fourth quarter, the Suns who did not want to be upset strengthened the attack of the outside line, Shamet and Bridges hit three points in succession, the Suns relied on 13-5 to overtake the score, but Ingram stepped forward at a critical moment, using the advantage of the outside line to re-establish the advantage, and in the final moment, He hit two more free throws to kill the game, and after four quarters of a fight, the Suns lost 114-125 to the Pelicans.
Ingram, who played the playoffs for the first time in his career, was thrilled before the series, and he proved himself in this game, scoring 37 points on 13-of-21 shooting, in addition to a quasi-triple-double of 11 rebounds and nine assists. In addition, McCollum's performance was also remarkable, with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists on 7-of-18 shooting. It is worth mentioning that the Pelicans shot as high as 54% in this game, and the three-point shooting rate reached 56%, which became a upset to provide enough firepower, which also showed the Suns' weak defense from the side.
For the Suns, Paul was decent, scoring 17 points on 5-of-16 shooting, which was not efficient, but he delivered 14 assists. It accounted for 55% of the whole team and completed the organizational task well. While Booker only played more than two quarters, he scored 31 points on 12-of-19 shooting, and it's safe to assume that the Pelicans will struggle to pull back a set if he doesn't get injured. It is worth mentioning that Booker also set a new playoff record, becoming the first player in the NBA in nearly 25 years to get 30+ in halftime with 0 free throws. Worse, according to Monty, Booker suffered a hamstring injury, which means he is unlikely to return in a short period of time. Without an offensive core, the Suns can only rely on the strength of the team, which is obviously bad news. However, I personally believe that the Suns will adjust in time, and the reason for this loss is that Booker's sudden injury has disrupted the rhythm of the team.