The Chris Paul thing has long ceased to be a determining factor. An absolutely generational player, one of the best point guards in history. And also a star that loses its light in an instant, that shines and then goes out. He playmaker he gets injured again at the worst moment and shows that something is always wrong with him, be it physical problems or inexplicable drops in level at the most important moment. What we do know is that his left adductor muscle has been strained, what amounts to his groin. She’s officially going to be treated.”day to day”. If it is grade I, it will be 7 to 10 days off, the whole series is as long as it takes. If it is grade II, we go from 4 to 8 weeks. And if it is grade III, it will be on leave until next season. Something that may not matter much, since the Suns are two losses away from elimination and the fact of having to think about the next season may come sooner rather than later.. If everything remains the same, if his health allows it (and this phrase is said in all its negative connotations) and if the Arizona team is incapable of reacting without a basic pillar in a system that, poor as it is, needs him. That’s how things are.
Chris Paul was injured with 5 minutes remaining in the third quarter, when the Suns won 59-51, which was 59-53 on that same play, in which the point guard was fighting for a rebound. He did not return to the game. If we take the second result as a reference, the partial was 44-28. The Suns therefore fell 97-87. And they travel down 2-0 to Arizona, an extraordinarily complicated situation that the Warriors have overcome in these playoffs… which, after all, are the Warriors. And they did not have that variable that the Suns do have, that of the loss of a point guard whose physical form is uncertain and who may not return in the entire tie. Paul was on the track for just over 25 minutes, he had 8 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. It doesn’t matter: the mere presence of him gives an incomparable peace of mind to his team, which he no longer has. That it has been destroyed by that adductor that could well have been something else. In 4 days he turns 38 years old. The combination of his age with his injury gives conclusions that are not good at all. In fact, they are really worrying.
The 8 advantage that the Suns had was their maximum difference before the final collapse, certified in a last quarter of a muggy partial: 27-14. Kevin Durant’s 24 points were of no use, rounded off with 8 rebounds and 3 assists but a disastrous shooting day (10 of 27, with 2 of 12 on three-pointers). Neither did the 35 goals, with 5 rebounds and 5 passes to the basket, by Devin Booker. Between the two of them, in the fourth quarter, they went 6-for-18 on the pitch. DeAndre Ayton went to 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. No other player reached double figures in scoring, one more sample the flat, predictable style of the short-rotation Suns, who play with questionable tactical depth and immobility, that of Monty Williams, who may end up digging the grave of those from Arizona.
At the Nuggets, things went well. After all, they have won. Nikola Jokic, who has said that he does not think about the MVP (it would be the third in a row, eye), had 39 points (17 of 30 shooting), 16 rebounds and 5 assists. In this way, he made up for the bad day of Jamal Murray (10 goals with 3 of 15 in shots and 0 of 9 in the triple), who was far from the level of the initial duel but found shelter in the protective wing of his always safe companion. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope reached 14 points, with 9 in the last quarter, in which he was perfect on the triple (3 of 3). And Aaron Gordon at 16. Victory worked, motivated by someone else’s injury, but victory after all. What counts in the playoffs for a team that arrived with doubts and is now close to its second Conference finals (the others were in 2020) since 2009, with Carmelo Anthony and company. 2-0 and travel to Arizona. They have it in their hand. The circumstances, which sometimes harm some and others to othersthey benefit them. oh chris paul…
|
32
Jeff Green |
|
6
DeAndre Jordan |
|
fifty
Aaron Gordon |
|
5
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope |
|
7
reggie jackson |
|
14
ish smith |
|
fifteen
Nikola Jokic |
|
27
Jamal Murray |
|
13
Thomas Bryant |
|
31
Vlatko Cancar |
|
1
Michael Porter Jr. |
|
eleven
Bruce Brown |
|
22
Zeke Nnaji |
|
0
Christian Braun |
|
8
peyton watson |
| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
32
Jeff Green | fifteen | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
6
DeAndre Jordan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
fifty
Aaron Gordon | 39 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5/6 | 4/5 | 1/3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
5
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 41 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 4/4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
7
reggie jackson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
14
ish smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
fifteen
Nikola Jokic | 41 | 39 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3/4 | 15/24 | 2/6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
|
27
Jamal Murray | 39 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4/4 | 3/6 | 0/9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
13
Thomas Bryant | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
31
Vlatko Cancar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
1
Michael Porter Jr. | 23 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/1 | 2/5 | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
eleven
Bruce Brown | 24 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5/6 | 2/4 | 0/1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
22
Zeke Nnaji | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
0
Christian Braun | fifteen | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
8
peyton watson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
8
terrence ross |
|
3
chris paul |
|
18
Bismack Biyombo |
|
twenty-one
T. J. Warren |
|
35
Kevin Durant |
|
fifteen
cameron payne |
|
1
Devin Booker |
|
10
Damion Lee |
|
0
Torrey Craig |
|
22
deandre ayton |
|
2
josh okogie |
|
14
Landry Shamet |
|
eleven
Jock Landale |
|
55
Darius Bazley |
|
12
Ish Wainright |
| Min | pts | RT | RO | DR | Ast | Per | rec | Tap | T1 | T2 | T3 | FR | CF | Val | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8
terrence ross | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
3
chris paul | 25 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 4/10 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
18
Bismack Biyombo | 9 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
twenty-one
T. J. Warren | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
35
Kevin Durant | 44 | 24 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2/2 | 8/15 | 2/12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
fifteen
cameron payne | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 1/3 | 0/4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
1
Devin Booker | 44 | 35 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3/3 | 10/21 | 4/8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
|
10
Damion Lee | 25 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/2 | 0/3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
|
0
Torrey Craig | eleven | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
22
deandre ayton | 33 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 7/10 | 0/0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
|
2
josh okogie | twenty-one | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 1/1 | 0/2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
|
14
Landry Shamet | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
eleven
Jock Landale | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
55
Darius Bazley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
12
Ish Wainright | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |