On April 23, Beijing time, the 2021-22 NBA playoffs were in full swing. In today's Western Focus game, the Suns took on the Pelicans on the road, the third leg of the series, with the first two games going 1-1. With Booker sidelined by injury, veteran Paul's performance was crucial.
Just after the start of the first quarter, Paul showed his aggressiveness, hitting his first personal three-pointer of the day at the top of the arc. Paul then scored consecutive assists for Ayton, and in the second half of the quarter, Paul hit a mid-range shot, and in the first quarter, Paul scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting and delivered as many as five assists, but the Suns trailed the Pelicans 28-29.
After entering the second quarter of the game, the two sides fell into a scuffle. With 5 minutes and 13 seconds left in the quarter, the battle between the two sides was 43:43! In one slot, Pelicans Hayes knocked over Suns Crowder. After seeing That Claude being pushed down, Paul immediately ran to the bottom line referee and put pressure on the referee to report Hayes' actions, and Hayes was expelled for a second-degree malicious foul. Paul then led the team to a wave of offensive climax, the Suns led the Pelicans by 11 points to end the first half of the game with a 59:48 lead!
In the 3rd quarter, the Pelicans quickly narrowed the point gap. Paul's consecutive assists for his teammates helped the team stabilize the situation. Paul had two points and four assists in the quarter, and the Suns led the Pelicans 81-79 to end The Third Quarter. It is worth mentioning that after assisting in doubles, Paul has had 51 playoff assists in his career, surpassing Kidd (50) to rise to 4th all-time, and his next target is Nash (54 games)!
After the final quarter began, Paul scored inside to inflict one of two fouls, and then Paul rolled over and hit a shot from mid-range. Paul then used Ayton's cover to hit another mid-range shot to make the score 88:88! After the timeout, Paul's hand did not decrease, two consecutive mid-range shots, and then Paul went inside to shoot against the defense. And that wasn't the end of it, Paul then hit a mid-range jumper to help the Suns lead by five points. In the final moments of the game, Paul took himself and assisted Crowder's shot! One and a half minutes before the finale, Paul rushed to the basket to play hard to help the team lead by seven points. Paul then hit consecutive free throws and the Suns took the victory.
In the end, the Suns beat the Pelicans 114-111 on the road to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Throughout the game, Paul played 40 minutes, shooting 10 of 18, including 1 of 6 three-pointers and 7 of 8 free throws, totaling 28 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists and 1 steal, no mistakes, plus or minus of +11! Among them, in the key final quarter game, Paul alone scored 19 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists on 7 of 10 shooting, which can be said to have led the team to victory by himself! After the game, Paul was rushed to the number one spot in the national hot search.
According to the schedule, the Suns will play the Pelicans on April 25 for the fourth leg of the series, and the Suns will strive for a 3-1 lead.