Back on the court following his hamstring injury in Game 2, Devin Booker witnessed a historic performance on Thursday night. Chris Paul led Phoenix to victory once morest New Orleans (115-109) without missing any shots of the match.
With a 14 out of 14 shooting (including 1/1 at 3 points), “CP3” (33 points, 8 assists) broke the record for the most successful attempts without any failure in the NBA play-offs. The previous record was co-held by Larry McNeill (Kansas City) and Nene (Washington), with 12 unmissed shots in 1975 and 2017 respectively. conference finals where they will find Dallas, Utah scorer.
On the floor of the Pelicans, Paul did not immediately realize that he was heading towards an NBA record. ” I had no idea. At halftime, I thought maybe I should shoot a little more. But the whole game I was trying to stay in control », said following the game the double Olympic champion with Team USA (2008, 2012). Because despite the return of Booker, Phoenix struggled once morest a tough opponent.
Booker and Bridges decisive for Phoenix
The Pelicans even raced in the lead (48-58, 24th) thanks to a great collective effort: seven players with ten or more points. But Brandon Ingram (21 points) and his teammates did not keep this pace in the third quarter. Chris Paul found the target behind the arc then halfway to erase the advantage taken by New Orleans (70-69, 30th).
On the opposing bench, Willie Green, ex-teammate and friend of Paul, watched helplessly the performance of “CP3″. ” Don’t talk to me regarding that (son match) now. I am proud that we have stood up to this challenge. I mightn’t ask for more from my players smiled the Pelicans coach. His team remained in contact until the last seconds of the match, even taking the lead on a double step from Brandon Ingram (103-104, 46th)
But the other Phoenix strongmen came to Paul’s relay. Devin Booker scored a winning shot and Mikal Bridges, runner-up to Marcus Smart for the title of defender of the year, stole the ball from the hands of CJ McCollum before concluding with a dunk (108-104, 47th).
Beaten, the Pelicans can be satisfied with having played in the play-offs despite a disastrous start to the season (1 victory in 13 matches). The Louisiana franchise is now awaiting the return of its All-Star Zion Williamson, who has just spent a blank year with a foot injury.
