Chris Paul made all 14 of his field goals on the best scoring night in NBA postseason history, Devin Booker returned from a hamstring injury and hit a late 3-pointer. The Phoenix Suns beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-109 on Thursday to end the first-round series in six games.
Paul made the most shots from the field without missing in a playoff matchup, made all four of his free throws and had eight assists as the top-seeded Suns rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit.
Phoenix will face the winner of the series between Dallas and Utah in the second round.
Paul helped the Suns go ahead for good and made it 102-101 with an assist to Deandre Ayton, who dunked the ball with 2:12 left. Ayton finished with 22 points, hitting 10 of 12 shots.
Booker was playing his first game in nine days since injuring his right hamstring after putting up 31 points in the first half of Game 2. He now had 13 points, shooting 5-for-12 from the field, with five rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes.
Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans with 21 points.
The game turned defensive in the second quarter — with 16 fouls — and the Pelicans seemed to enjoy the physical game, outscoring the Suns 30-20 to lead 58-48 at halftime.