Chris Paul

NEW ORLEANS – The Phoenix Suns needed a perfect performance from their leader Thursday night. Devin Booker wasn't himself after missing three games with a ...

After the game, Suns coach Monty Williams and Pelicans first-year head coach Willie Green embraced. That will give Booker time to recover even more from the injury although Williams said he kept telling him his hamstring felt good. Booker finished with 13 points with 11 coming in the second half. Phoenix won two of those three, but lost Game 4 by 15, which guaranteed a return to New Orleans for Game 6. Game 1 of the conference semifinals will be Monday in Phoenix. "We understand what closeout games mean," said Booker during a TNT postgame interview.

Chris Paul shot a playoff-record 14-for-14, scoring 33 points to lead the Suns to a 115-109 series-ending win over the Pelicans in Game 6.

A superb mid-ranger operator, Paul didn’t even take a shot at the rim! Wilt Chamberlain holds the regular-season record 18-for-18. He has driven teammates mad over the years with his intense intolerance for mistakes.

Paul, who turns 37 in a week, might be playing the best basketball of his life.

With four and a half minutes to play, the Suns trailed by one; over the next four minutes Paul scored or assisted on 11 of Phoenix's 13 points, and that was that. Again, there are many reasons why the Suns are among the title favorites, but Paul is at the top of the list. By the numbers, Devin Booker -- who returned on Thursday after missing Games 3, 4 and 5 -- and Paul are equally deadly in closing time. Through the first five games of the series, Paul, who will turn 37 in a week, had scored 20 points a night while registering 60 assists against six turnovers, which was in line to tie his own 2008 mark for the best assist/turnover ratio in a single playoff series in history. Turns out, it was Westbrook who was on the sharp decline, while Paul, at 33 years old, still had arguably his best basketball in front of him. When the Houston Rockets traded Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2019, it was a case of perception trumping reality.

Paul on Thursday was issued a flagrant foul by the NBA for contact made to Pelicans rookie Jose Alvarado in Game 5.

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Chris Paul spoke to the NBA on TNT after the Phoenix Suns eliminated the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series.

Game 6 will be played in New Orleans on Thursday evening.CLICK HERE. - CHRIS PAUL MEETS WITH MEDIA AFTER GAME 5: The Phoenix Suns picked up a significant win in Game 5 to get the series back in their favor (3-2). After the game, superstar point guard Chris Paul met with the media. The win for the Suns advances them to the second-round of the playoffs, while the loss for the Pelicans sends them into the 2022 offseason.

Chris Paul was the definition of perfection on Thursday. The Suns point guard put on a spotless performances to close out the Pelicans.

Chris Paul looked like a man on a mission for the Suns in Game 6. That ranks just behind none other than Wilt Chamberlain himself for the most shots made in a game without a single miss. Chris Paul was the definition of perfection on Thursday night.

Chris Paul shot a perfect 14-of-14 from the field to help the Phoenix Suns close out their opening round playoff series with a 115-109 Game 6 win over the ...

"It's a good win for us, there's a reason why he's the coach here. In the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers advanced to the conference semis with a comfortable 132-97 win over the Toronto Raptors. On his return from a hamstring injury suffered in Game 2 of the series, Suns shooting guard Devin Booker put up 13 points, five rebounds and three assists, while center Deandre Ayton had a bright night with 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists.