Did Chris Paul have greatest shooting night in NBA playoff history?
Chris Paul etched his name in the NBA playoff history books, becoming the first player ever to shoot 14-for-14 on his way to 33 points to lead a 115-109 comeback victory in Game 6 over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Paul tallied the most field goals without a miss in a playoff game, hit all four of his free throws and had eight assists as the top-seeded Phoenix Suns overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to finish off the first-round series and punch their ticket to the conference semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks.
Overall, Paul went a combined 18-for-18 on field goals and free throws, becoming just the fifth player to achieve that perfection in the shot clock era and the first to do so in the playoffs, per ESPN.
Only Wilt Chamberlain made more field goals without missing, once going 18-of-18 and another time going 16-of-16.
Paul's biggest shot was his last one, a 10-foot pull-up with 28 seconds left that bounced around the rim before dropping in.
"It's unbelievably special, you have no idea how special it is for me," said Paul, who played his first six seasons in New Orleans. "I had no clue (I hadn't missed). At halftime, I realized I might need to shoot a little bit more."
On Friday's "Undisputed," Skip Bayless reacted to CP3's record-setting night and shared his biggest takeaway from Paul's playoff performance thus far.
"If possible, he has gotten much better at [age] 36 than he was at 35 or 34 or 33, when he was very good. Now, he's all-time great," he said. "Chris Paul is going ‘Benjamin Button.’ … He can create space with his stature, with his power, with his physicality."
Chris Paul's red hot night pushes Suns into WCS vs. Mavericks I UNDISPUTED
Paul's 33 points were crucial for the Suns, as Devin Booker, who had been sidelined with a right hamstring injury since Game 2, returned to action but wasn't quite himself. He scored 13 points on 5 of 12 shooting and made a key 3-pointer off a feed from Paul with 1:42 left that gave the Suns the lead for good.
"Nobody has seen this, 14-for-14, it gives you the utmost confidence playing with him," Booker said.
Paul's teammate Deandre Ayton finished with 22 points on 10 of 12 shooting. Paul and Ayton's combined 24-for-26 shooting was the highest combined field goal percentage by teammates (92.3%) in a playoff game in the shot-clock era (minimum 20 attempts), according to Elias Sports Bureau.
What's more, Paul continued to add to his Hall of Fame résumé, moving up to sixth on the NBA's all-time playoff assists list during Friday's victory.
