On April 23, Beijing time, the Pelicans played at home against the Suns, the two teams are currently 1-1 draw, And Booker missed today's G3 due to a right hamstring strain. There have been previous reports that Booker could be on a 2-3-week break, which also means he will miss the rest of the first round. Booker missed a total of 14 games in the regular season, with the Suns winning 8 and losing 6.
Booker doesn't play, Paul will definitely be heavily defended by the Pelicans, and Ayton needs to step up and take on more responsibility. In Series G2, Ayton had just 10 points and 9 rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting. Ayton's rookie contract expires this summer, and he's bent on renewing his contract with a five-year, $170 million top salary. The playoffs are the best stage to prove your ability!
The Suns' most disappointing player was Crowder, who combined 2-of-15 in the first two games of the series, including 9-of-0 from three points. Monty still made Crowder start and the team needed his defense. Suns starters: Paul, Bridges, Johnson, Crowder, Ayton, Pelicans starters: McCollum, Jones, Ingram, Hayes, Varan.
In the first quarter of the game, Ayton hardened! He played nine minutes in the first quarter, shooting 6-of-7 and scoring 13 points and 4 rebounds on 1-of-1 three-point range. For comparison, Varan and Hayes combined for just four points and five rebounds in the first quarter. The Suns didn't feel good on the outside after the opening, shooting 3-of-10 from the team in the first quarter, Crowder 3-of-0, and the series has conceded 12 consecutive three-pointers.
Although Ayton attacked well, he could not stop Varan on the defensive end, and the Suns continued to lose rebounds in the backcourt. After the first quarter, the Pelicans led by one point 29-28. The smell of gunpowder on the field gradually thickened, and the two sides rubbed each other many times in the second quarter! With 6:10 left in the second quarter, Shamet slammed Hayes. After landing on the ground, Bridges came over to talk to Hayes, and Shamet himself was confused.
That's not all, with 5 minutes and 16 seconds left in the second quarter, Hayes toppled Crowder as he scrambled for rebounds. Claude got up and ran over to confront Hayes. The referee checked the replay, gave Claude a technical foul, and blew Hayes for a second-degree malicious foul, and Hayes was expelled.
After Hayes was ousted, the Pelicans players' mentality changed and suddenly stopped playing. The Pelicans scored just 19 points in the second quarter, and the Sun blasted down 31 points. At halftime, the Suns led by 11 points 59-48. Ayton shot 10-of-14 and scored 21 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block! Paul made 2-of-5 shooting and had seven points, one rebound, eight assists and one steal.
The Pelicans made it to 3 of 5 from three in the first quarter and 2 of 12 in the second quarter, and it was reasonable to fall behind in such shooting percentages. Varan shot 1 of 5 and had only 4 points and 5 rebounds in the halftime, and was completely suppressed by Ayton! Easy to fight again, the Pelicans defense has a targeted, do not let Ayton receive the ball at will, choose the bag clip at the right time, the Suns' offense is in a struggle.
The third quarter belonged to Ingram and McCollum, who took turns singles to help the Pelicans chase points. Ingram scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the quarter and CJ scored 9 points on 3-of-4 shooting in the quarter. The Pelicans team scored 31 points in the third quarter, and the Suns scored just 22 points, and the Pelicans trailed 79-81 in the third quarter. The Suns were 4-of-22 on three-pointers, and Ayton blasted 28+11 in the third quarter!
In the fourth quarter, Nance Jr. defended Ayton alone, and Tsunaro attacked twice in a row without success. CJ rested off the field and Alvarado scored nine straight points to ignite the Pelicans home. Alvarado is used to stealing behind his back and is called "Old Six" by fans. In March, the Pelicans regularized his two-way contract, signing a four-year, $6.5 million formal contract.
Ayton is limited, and Paul carries the banner of the Sun Attack! With 3.1/2 minutes left in the game, the Suns maintained a slim lead 98-95. The Pelicans began pinching Paul, forcing him to play early. Series G1 Gun Brother scored 19 points in the last quarter, and today he completed his solo performance again, scoring 15 points in the last quarter to save the whole team!
Paul fed Ayton bread in the first three quarters, and Ayton was restricted in the fourth quarter, and he had to take over the game himself. The Suns were also making mistakes in the final moments, with Craig fouling Ingram on a three-pointer and the Pelicans trailing for five points in the final 30 seconds. Ingram scored nine straight points to force his life, Paul made all four free throws, Bridges also made all four free throws, and finally the Suns beat the Pelicans 114-111!
Paul shot 10-of-18 and scored 28 points, 4 rebounds, 14 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, and scored 19 points in the final quarter! Ayton scored 0 points in the fourth quarter, scoring 28 points, 17 rebounds and 3 steals, and the Pelicans heard a huge boo of "Fark Paul" at home. Crowder was 0-of-5 from three and 0-of-14 from a series. Bridges had 17 points, McGee 15 and Cameron Johnson had eight.
Ingram shot 11-of-19, 3-of-6 from three-point range and 9-of-10 from the free throw line, had 34 points, 7 boards, 2 assists and 1 block, and 21 points in the second half. McCollum shot 11-of-23, 4-of-11 from three-point range and 4-of-8 from the free throw line, and had 30 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Graham have 12 points, Alvarado nine and the Pelicans are currently trailing 1-2.
Paul has delivered 28 assists in his last two games (17 points and 14 assists in G2 and 28 points and 14 assists in G3) without error, which is also the NBA's record of 0 consecutive 0-turnover assists (28 assists) in two consecutive playoff games since the 1977-78 season.