Chris Paul comes alive, Phoenix Suns top Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4
Momentum can be lost in the blink of an eye in the NBA playoffs, and the Lakers might have just learned that the hard way.
After appearing in control of the series after a Game 3 victory, the Lakers watched the Phoenix Suns tie the series at 2-2 with a 100-92 Game 4 victory.
Now the Suns head home to Phoenix, reclaiming home-court advantage, and with the Lakers reeling due to an Anthony Davis groin injury.
Here is how the Suns won Game 4 and tied the series:
Key performer: Chris Paul
To put it simply, this is the Paul that Suns fans have been accustomed to seeing all season, and the Paul that NBA fans have grown familiar with during his career.
The veteran point guard finally looked like himself, battling through an injured right shoulder to score 18 points and hand out nine assists.
If Paul is able to regain his form as this series progresses, the momentum is on Phoenix's side and that is a bad sign for the Lakers.
Turning point: Anthony Davis' injury
The story of this series thus far has been the health of both teams.
The Lakers entered the playoffs with a healthy roster for the first time in months, after LeBron James recovered from a sprained ankle and Davis returned from a calf strain.
Then in Game 1, Chris Paul suffered a right shoulder injury that led to him being a shell of himself through the first three games of the series.
Now Davis and the Lakers find themselves once again dealing with an injury at an inopportune time.
Davis suffered a left groin strain late in the second quarter and did not play in the second half. The injury clearly shocked the Lakers, who saw a four-point halftime deficit swell to as much as 19 in the second half.
The health of Davis, as well as their starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, will be worth monitoring the rest of this series and could decide whether the Lakers advance or are eliminated in the first round.
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Wild card: The Suns' "others"
To say that this had been a rough start to the series for Jae Crowder and Mikal Bridges would be a severe understatement.
During the regular season Crowder shot 39% from 3-point range while Bridges shot 42%, but neither one had seen that efficiency materialize in the first three games, making a combined eight 3-pointers through the first three games.
They both provided a much-needed offensive spark in Game 4.
The tandem combined to score 28 points for the Suns while making six of the team's 10 3-pointers.
As this series progresses, it would be a welcomed sight in Phoenix for these two to continue to offer an offensive boost with Paul being compromised.
Did you know?
History is repeating itself for the Suns and the Lakers.
Before this series, the last playoff series that the Suns played was the 2010 Western Conference finals, which was also against the Lakers and also was tied 2-2 after Game 4.
The Lakers went on to win that series in six games, and the Suns are hoping this won't be a repeat of that series.
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Twitter’s take:
What’s next?
The series heads back to Phoenix for Game 5 with the Suns looking to take a 3-2 lead on their home court.
Game 5 tips off at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday.
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