Chris Paul # 3 of the Phoenix Suns shoots over Lonzo Ball # 2 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the fourth quarter of an NBA game at the Smoothie King Center on February 19, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Phoenix Suns win game 132-114. (Photo by Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
“Funky”.
That’s how Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams described his team’s three-quarter game in New Orleans on Friday against the Pelicans.
Thanks to three-point stellar photos, the sun managed to stay, but dropped from 11 to three quarters. It felt like the flood gates were about to explode.
And, uh, they did.
But not exactly the way you would expect.
The Suns continued to win the game with 18 and a score of 132-114.
The sound you just heard was that several people falling from their chairs read that they had rightly stopped this game in 36 minutes.
Yes, the same game ended with the Suns beating the Pelicans 41-12 in the fourth quarter.
It is clear what has changed. Why did he do it? Not so clear. That’s how sports happen sometimes, I think.
Regardless, the Suns were largely lifeless in defense, making one of the team’s worst efforts. They scored 15 of the first 27 deep shots (55.5%) and it was really all that held them apart from Chris Paul’s focused effort.
Then, at the start of the fourth quarter, an energetic start from Paul, Deandre Ayton and Jae Crowder provided signs of life and a reminder that it was very much a game.
Paul was already closed, so with the momentum of the game, he finally came back to grab it, snatching it with relentless precision.
You know that part of a movie where there are people at sea trying to survive a storm, and then a close-up appears on the main protagonist with a stunned look on his face, saying, “My God …” before to move to a wave that comes to them the size of North Dakota?
These were the pelicans in the first few minutes of the fourth seeing God.
Paul’s bunker dagger on the right wing was the early dagger. The Suns increased by 11 in the middle of the fourth and on a 27-5 run to open the quarter.
“That’s just being in those situations countless times … I have to be shot,” Paul said. “So, step sideways to the right, let him go.”
Paul clarified after the game that he said, “I know this place,” with New Orleans serving him at home for the first six NBA seasons.
Only in the fourth quarter, Paul had five points and seven assists. He finished with 15 points and 19 assists. He became the first NBA player this season to win at least 19 in a game.
“He’s orchestrating there,” Suns guard Devin Booker said of Paul. “She knows what’s going on before it happens. With him, the game never ended until the horn sounded. He did a good job of leading us, keeping us calm throughout the game, and then the fourth quarter was a work of art. ”
Crowder was an amazing 30-plus in the fourth quarter, a section of the game in which he hit four of his six triples. He scored 20 points overall.
In that fourth, Ayton re-entered one of those areas where he impacted almost every piece. We never know when we’ll see this guy, but when we do, it’s definitely a delight.
Ayton’s three-and-a-half-minute opening was the main reason Paul was able to take over the game.
The pattern is never obvious when it comes to Ayton. He did not roll in this game. His good individual defense of Zion Williamson prevented him from being a big negative overall in three quarters.
Williams remained with Ayton through a clearly disconnected effort during Tuesday’s heavy loss to the Brooklyn Nets, assuming he showed his young center-back that he will continue to play by mistake.
At some point on Friday, however, the third-quarter referrals felt it might be time to put Ayton down a bit and look away. And, to be clear, this would be the case for most young players who don’t sync and it’s not just a specific thing for Ayton alone.
But Williams remained loyal to the big guy again and gave great results. Both the coach and especially the player deserve this.
“He plays at both ends of the floor,” Williams said of Ayton. “Defensively, he was definitely a star in a few moments, but when he’s able to put pressure on the rim and generate photos – Jae and Cam (Johnson) and Chris don’t get those photos without DA putting pressure on them. rim. It was either to give up 3 or YES to the rim, so this is the sacrifice he makes when he throws himself into the basket. It’s just good for him to have those moments because I know he trusts him.
“Everyone on our team has roots in YES. They hear all the narratives around his name and appreciate what he does for us at both ends of the floor. ”
Ayton recorded 16 points and 16 rebounds.
Speaking of that defense on Williamson, that match brought Frank Kaminsky back to the starting line for the Suns. Kaminsky could take the large body of Willy Hernangomez, who started in place of the injured Steven Adams, while Ayton defended Williamson.
Kaminsky played well once again, hitting five triples to a maximum score of 17 points this season.
E’Twaun Moore had another good stretch on the bench, adding seven points. Johnson provided another 13 and played a role in that fourth quarter of destruction.
The Suns (18-10) equaled a franchise record of 22 triples.
Williamson came up with 23 points, while the Pelicans (12-17), Brandon Ingram, had 25. The two caused consistent problems that affected Phoenix for most of the game. Williams said he changed some things to limit Ingram in the fourth, but quickly rushed back to his players that they had the “will and effort” to execute him at that high level.
“This is the endurance and the tireless game we talked about, that we need to have,” Williams said of the overall victory. “Most of the game didn’t go our way. You felt it was kind of weird. ”