When the Phoenix Suns acquired Chris Paul from the OKC Thunder in the offseason, they got a veteran who can guide a solid collection of young talent, and based on what’s going on in these playoffs, the Suns made the right move.
On Sunday night, the Phoenix Suns defeated the Denver Nuggets 125-118 in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals to sweep the series and advance to the Western Conference finals.
Paul was remarkable in this game. The 11-time All-Star scored 37 points on 14/19 shooting and seven assists. He was exceptional in the third quarter. Paul was 6-6 from the field with 12 points, and as they have done in every game this series, Phoenix outscored the Nuggets in the third quarter and took a 95-83 lead into the fourth quarter.
At one point, Paul made eight straight midrange jumpers. According to StatMuse, Paul scored 37 points without taking a three-point shot, which ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points ever without a three-point field attempt by a 36-year old or older in a playoff game.
According to Suns head coach Monty Williams, Paul played a relatively perfect game.
“What could you say other than he was darn-near perfect all night long,” Williams said. “Scoring the ball, managing the clock, he and I had communication throughout the game on what was working.”
Paul, who got a sweep for the first time in his career and is back in the conference finals for the first time since 2018, showed the world that he still has a lot of basketball left in him. In this series, he averaged 25.5 points and 10.2 assists per game, with only five turnovers.
“A couple years ago, they were writing me off,” Paul told TNT’s Chris Haynes after the game. “You can’t do this.’ This ain’t about me; it’s about us. Shows what you can do when you come together as a team. We’ve got a great team over there, and it’s a lot of fun to be a part of it.”
Paul was not the only guy that stepped up for Phoenix in Game 4. Devin Booker had another big closeout game. Booker scored 34 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on Sunday night. In the first-round series against the Lakers, Booker scored 47 points in the series-clinching win. Also, Booker and Paul became the first Suns’ teammates to score 30-plus in a playoff game since 2005.
The Suns now focus on the Western Conference finals, and after winning seven straight in the playoffs, it’s clear this team has a great rhythm, and if Paul stays healthy, Phoenix will be a tough out for the Jazz, Clippers, or anybody in the NBA.
With size(Deandre Ayton), and excellent guard play, Phoenix can win an NBA title; it’s just that simple.
The Phoenix Suns are one win away from getting to the Western Conference Finals after defeating the Denver Nuggets 116-102 at Ball Arena on Friday night.
Phoenix has a commanding 3-0 series lead with an opportunity to sweep this second-round best-of-seven-series in Game 4 in Denver on Sunday night.
The Suns have not been to the conference finals since 2010.
All five Suns’ starters scored in double figures, led by Devin Booker’s 28 points, six rebounds, and four assists, Chris Paul’s 27 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, and Deandre Ayton had 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Nikola Jokic, who received his MVP trophy on Friday night, had a triple-double and led the Nuggets with 32 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists—joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only two others players in NBA history to have a 30/20/10 game in the playoffs.
The Suns had another big third quarter in Game 3 and outscored the Nuggets 31-21 on Friday night. In total, Phoenix has outscored Denver by 29 points in the third quarter this series.
The moment Paul got right from the shoulder injury was the moment Phoenix started to take off in these playoffs. The Suns have won six straight in the playoffs by an average of 17 points per game. Paul has 34 assists and three turnovers in this series against the Nuggets. Also, Paul has been magical in the fourth quarter in this series against Denver; Paul has scored 30 points, including eight points on Friday night, on 12-13 from the field, with eight assists and zero turnovers.
“He an unbelievable basketball player, but he has an unbelievable mind and will to play the game,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said about Paul. “So, I’m not even sure he even thinks about the turnovers. I think he’s just trying to make the right plays. He’s putting guys in position to score the ball, but again, he’s done that his whole career.
Despite being down 3-0, Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, whose team came back from 3-1 twice in the playoffs last season, hopes his team can be the first to overcome a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs in NBA history.
“As far as the 3-0 deficit, yes, history is not on our side,” Malone said. “But you know what? We have rewritten history the last couple of years. When we were down 3-1 twice last year, it was never about trying to win three more games. It was about winning the next game, winning the first quarter, winning the second quarter, and that’s got to be our mindset.”
Denver appears to be a team that has run out of gas. They are without their second-best player in point guard Jamal Murray, which puts more pressure on Jokic, who can’t do any more than what he did on Friday night.
This series probably over. No one has come back from 3-0 in NBA history, and barring a miracle, it probably does not happen in this series.
Protests have rocked the United States after the death of George Floyd, who died after an altercation with police in Minnesota.
On Sunday, Suns head coach Monty Williams wrote a beautiful letter about the death of Floyd and more.
Read below:
I’m angry. I’m afraid. And I’m in pain.
“When I read those words, I feel like I’m channeling one of my kids. These are the words of a teenager lost and looking for direction in a messed-up world, not the sentiment of an NBA head coach and former player.
We’re supposed to have all of the answers.
We’re supposed to be seen as grace under pressure.
We’re supposed to lead by example.
Still, I am angry, afraid and in pain. I don’t have all the answers, but I know the solutions start with love, listening, compassion, service and defending those who can’t defend themselves.
And I have definitely lost my cool over the years in the face of abject racism – dating back to my earliest memories growing up in Colonial Virginia – and likely more in the days to come.
I woke up this morning to our country on fire, AGAIN, and decided the least I can do as so many of us are gripped by anger, fear and pain is to lead by example. Allow my voice – filled with as much conviction as uncertainty – to be heard so that others, whether they have a platform or not, will lift their voices as well.
I pray for those we have lost but more personally for those who have lost – the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many before you. I know how it feels to get that call that someone you love isn’t coming home. The pit in your stomach. The unequivocal feeling of helplessness. Dropping to your knees and imploring God “why?” I feel your pain and can truly sympathize and empathize. I wish no one would ever have to receive that call again.
To my brothers and sisters from around the sports world, and in full transparency, help me. I’m looking for direction. I may not be the most profound or prolific – I know there are others with their own platforms out there telling yourself the same things – but we have an opportunity and I daresay, an obligation. How can we help each other find that direction?
I best sum it up in 1 John 3:17…
But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”
We have earned positions of wealth and standing in society. We certainly cannot stand idly by.
I’m distraught as I look at my boys – two are African American and one is Caucasian – because too many people see them differently. None of them should have to think about how law enforcement will treat them if pulled over for rolling through a stop sign. None of them should be followed through a department store by security. None of them should feel the sweat rolling down their back when a cop follows them for blocks. Alas, their worlds are different, and something is wrong with that.
Don’t misread me. I have as much respect for most law enforcement as I do disdain for some of the would-be protesters.
To those who have sworn to protect and serve ALL people regardless of color, religion or sexual orientation, I say thank you. We have an institutional problem with pervasive racism. It must end now.
To those who are using the façade of a protest or march by choosing to destroy and tear down, I challenge you to be better. As I tell my players, I’m not calling you out, I’m calling you up. Destruction of property and life is NOT the answer.
“It IS time to raze the institutional foundations of racism and segregation within politics, law enforcement and society at large. It must happen NOW.
Borrowing from C.S. Lewis, “you can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
We must be the change now.”
On Thursday, the NBA announced that Phoenix Suns C Deandre Ayton was suspended 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. The former number overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft tested positive for a diuretic, which have been known to hide PED usage.
Phoenix Suns General Manager James Jones released the following statement on Ayton’s suspension:
“On behalf of the Phoenix Suns organization, Monty Williams and I are disappointed in the actions by Deandre Ayton that led to his testing positive for a banned diuretic and subsequent suspension by the NBA. This does not uphold the standards and principles we have set for the team.”
“Deandre has expressed his deepest remorse. While he is suspended we remain committed to his growth and development on and off the court. His actions are not taken lightly, and we are committed to ensuring that Deandre understands the profound impact it has had on the team, organization, and Suns community.”
Earlier tonight, Deandre Ayton released the following statement:
“I want to apologize to my family, the entire Suns organization, my teammates, partners, our fans and the Phoenix community. This was an unintentional mistake and unfortunately I put something in my body that I was completely unaware of. I do understand the unfortunate impact that this has on so many others, and for that I am deeply sorry. I’m extremely disappointed that I’ve let my team down. I will continue to work with the Players’ Union (NBPA) to go through the arbitration process and am hopeful for a positive resolution.”
