Chris Paul (3), Phoenix Suns (3), rides against Morphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, February 20, 2021 in Memphis, Tennessee (AP Photo / Brandon Dill)
If you have Chris Paul on your team, you could win as Friday’s surprising fourth-quarter blast for the Phoenix Suns makes it possible.
It could also make cakewalks like Saturday’s 128-97 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies possible.
Since Paul has found his elite form over the past few weeks, there is a certain amount of play that the Suns are going to get almost every night. With the talent that Phoenix has around Paul, the leadership of the points guard will yield good results.
That meant Saturday that a Grizzlies team would not get a chance to win.
Head coach Monty Williams praised his team’s focus on taking care of business.
“These are the kind of games where you can lose your rhythm,” he said. ‘If they have so many guys, you can mess with the game, and we did not do it tonight.
‘I got a timeout and was just grateful for the way we played in the fourth quarter because it’s a time when you can get on with the game and take bad shots. I need to call the timeout to get us back where we need to be. to be and we do not have to do it tonight. ”
Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins met with his staff on Friday night after a win over the Detroit Pistons and tried to navigate the necessary precautions in his rotation. This is because the Grizzlies played their fourth game in five nights and the fifth game in seven nights on Saturday against Phoenix.
Since Memphis had some injuries and COVID-19 absences before, he had to put some players against Phoenix to be safe. It was guard Grayson Allen, forward Kyle Anderson and big man Brandon Clarke. As starting teams Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr., who have yet to disappear, the Grizzlies deteriorated their rotation.
Not a good idea with the Point God in town.
It really never gets old to see Paul take control of a game. He put on the offensive role in the first quarter and was determined from there.
Paul made all five of his shots in the first half for 13 points. In all, he had just 16 points and six assists, a testament to his excellence that he can do it with a statline that represents anything but the manipulation of the opposition.
The Suns took a double-digit lead of ten minutes, staying above 15 for most of the second quarter, and it only got worse from then on.
The Suns played good defense against bad Grizzlies attacks. Memphis had some half-decent looks, but never got a fall. Like the Suns’ breeze from a win against the Orlando Magic earlier in February, it looked like the Grizzlies weren’t all there, due to the number of guys they were missing.
The Grizzlies missed 16 consecutive three-pointers to open the game.
By the time they tried 17, the Suns were 25.4 with 41.4 seconds left in the first half.
Phoenix crossed the entire road. The Grizzlies did not fight enough after the Suns took them off the jump. A Suns advantage of 31 points was reduced to as low as 26 in the second half only.
This game would not have been hotly contested regardless of the way the shooting went, but it did not help that the Suns also set a franchise record of 24 three-pointers.
In such an open game, a few players could get a rhythm. Devin Booker scored a match-high of 23, while 19 points were contributed by Mikal Bridges, Cam Payne and Dario Saric.
Memphis finished 5-out-33 (15.2%) of the three-point series. The Suns scored 35 shots for just nine times.
Viewers of the sun will be regularly reminded of Paul’s greatness this season. Aside from the impact he’s had in the last two wins, there’s also the fact that he surpassed Robertson’s Oscar freaking on the points list of overall help on Saturday, and moved to sixth place.
Not everyone on the Suns takes it for granted.
“For me, we won a big game, but I was just blown away that I would be a part of him,” Williams said of Paul’s performance. ‘If you think of the name Oscar Robertson, it’s unreal that Chris plays the way he does … I think it’s great and a blessing, and I feel just as honored and humbled to be a part of this team when he does it. did. ‘
Booker makes sure he gets the game ball for Paul so the team can present it to him, a ball that Paul was still holding while he was talking to the media.
“It’s quite difficult to put it into words, to be a fan of the game for so long and to be a fan of him for so long. It’s incredible to be glorifying the court with him now,” Booker said. said.
“It means everything, really,” he added when he gave Paul the ball. ‘Just a part of history, man – it’s Chris Paul right there. I say this every day. I call him by his first and last name, because that’s how I grew up and said. ‘
Booker said that “it’s no mistake” that Paul is a basketball player as excellent as he is because he has now seen Paul’s daily work over the past few months.
The special mentality that Paul had reflected when asked if he was Magic Johnson – no. 5 – wants to make it to the points list next season.
“I’m trying to make a profit,” Paul said with a smile.