Chris Paul goes full ‘Point God’ mode to save the Phoenix Suns from his old team

Sometimes, a player just has your damn number. That’s probably how the New Orleans Pelicans feel about Chris Paul.

New Orleans, who are still without Zion Williamson for the near future, started the game kicking the asses of the Phoenix Suns. They had a strong 36-22 first quarter, and their largest lead of the game was 20. However, they let Phoenix slowly creep back into the game, and that motivated Chris Paul to go into full ‘Point God’ mode with 14 points, 7 Rebounds and 18 assists.

CP3 fucked the Pelicans up in the fourth quarter. The Suns started down 82-76 heading into the final stanza, and the old man decided to teach the young bloods a lesson. He was involved in every single Suns bucket from the start of the quarter until the 3:52 mark with 10 points and 6 assists over that stretch. The Suns didn’t get a point without a Paul assist or bucket until there was only 1:56 left in the game – when Devin Booker made a three off a Frank Kaminsky assist. 

Just for good measure, Paul capped the night with the Suns’ last points off of a pair of free throws against his and Monty Williams’ old team. The nuttiest thing about Paul’s vintage performance is that he only took a total of eight shots and two free throws the entire game. By the time the dust settled, the Suns had ridden Paul’s wizardry and a 36-18 fourth quarter to a 112-100 victory. 

Here’s a visual re-enactment of how the Pelicans felt going up against Chris Paul in the fourth quarter:

via GIPHY

This isn’t even the first time that Paul and the Suns have done this to the Pelicans this year. They had a 41-12 fourth quarter in a game that saw Paul dish 19 assists in February.

Props to you, Chris. You show them young guns what this game is about. For additional icing on the cake, today’s performance pushed Paul to third in the assists leaderboard.

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Kyle Lowry’s big game helps the Heat claim the East’s top spot

The Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls are tied with a 6-1 record, but the Heat hold the top seed in the Eastern Conference thanks to their superior point differential, which stands at +16.7 compared to the Bulls’ +8.7.

They got their win today with a strong offense that saw four players score at least 22 points, including 25 points off the bench from Tyler Herro, who shot 11 of 20 and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Herro has scored at least 22 points in his last three games.

Kyle Lowry had himself something of a breakout game for the Heat, dropping 22 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists with only one turnover. He was extremely efficient from the field, shooting 7 of 10 overall and 6 of 9 from deep. He was brought in for veteran leadership, but it sure won’t hurt Miami if he has the occasional game like this.

Bam Adebayo had a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler got 23 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a block even while only shooting 4 of 11 from the field. Butler relied on bully ball to get most of his points, as he made 15 of 17 free throws. Butler still found a way to throw some shade at Lowry at the end of the game, so maybe the former Raptor still needs to prove himself to his friend and other teammates.

Luka Doncic had 33 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists in the 125-110 defeat, while Jalen Brunson scored 25 for the Mavericks. Tim Hardaway had 17 points but shot 5 of 15 from the field.

The Heat are rolling, and this blowout is their fifth win in a row, good for the league’s best active winning streak. They’ve got a killer schedule for their next six games, though, and are looking at the Celtics, Jazz (twice), Nuggets, Lakers and Clippers. With the way they’re playing, they’ll like their chances.

The Utah Jazz get to the top of the West after beating the Kings

The Sacramento Kings had their moments against the Utah Jazz, but they couldn’t overcome another rough night for star point guard De’Aaron Fox, who shot 4 of 15 from the field and missed all his three-pointers en route to 13 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and a block.

Fox’s struggles were magnified by a huge game from Mike Conley, who had 30 points on 11 of 19 shooting from the field and 6 of 9 from three. Donovan Mitchell also had a big night with 36 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal while shooting 14 of 30 from the field. Rudy Gobert manhandled the Kings on the boards as well, finishing with a double-double of 12 points and 20 rebounds.

The Jazz did have to deal with a scary moment near the end of the first half, when Donovan Mitchell ran straight to the locker room after a collision with Davion Mitchell. 

One positive that the Kings will take is the improving offense of prized rookie Davion Mitchell, who entered the league with a reputation for killer defense. ‘Off Night’ shot 7 of 14 from the field for 18 points off the bench. Buddy Hield also had an efficient game off the pine with 19 points while shooting 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. Harrison Barnes continued to be a consistent force for the Kings this season as well with 23 points and 6 rebounds. 

The win pushes the Jazz to the top of the Western Conference with a 6-1 record. The Warriors are right behind them at 5-1 and play tomorrow. 

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Giannis Antetokounmpo carried the Bucks back to .500

The Milwaukee Bucks are hurting. They were going into their game against the Detroit Pistons with a 3-4 record, and are missing key starters like Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, and Jrue Holiday.

But sometimes, having your superstar is enough to carry you to a victory, and Giannis Antetokounmpo showed that today with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists and 4 blocks in 27 minutes of game time. He didn’t have to play much in second half because the Bucks roared to a 57-39 halftime lead against the lowly Pistons.

Jerami Grant led Detroit with 21 points, but they never got a rhythm going against the defending champs.

The Lakers outlast the Rockets while also getting another AD injury scare

The Houston Rockets found themselves with a 70-64 halftime lead against the inconsistent Los Angeles Lakers, but just like in their last game a couple days ago, simply couldn’t find a way to close out the game. 

The Rockets got another double-double from Christian Wood, who finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds, while Jae’Sean Tate had 20 points and 5 rebounds. They also saw 24 points and 5 assists from Jalen Green, while they got an all-around game from Kevin Porter Jr. with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals and a block.

However, they couldn’t defeat the Lakers’ Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. The trio combined for 84 points, 22 rebounds, and 20 assists that was enough to help the Lakers claw their way back to a 119-117 victory. Carmelo Anthony offered an efficient scoring option off the bench, making 6 of 9 shots on the way to 15 points.

In what’s become something of a regular sight for Lakers fans, there was yet another injury scare for Davis, who sometimes seems like a light breeze might cause him to break something.

Davis seemed to recover just fine, though, much to the relief of Laker fans around the world. Still, it must not be fun living in constant fear because one of your superstars always seems to be one play away from total disaster.