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Chris Paul had a lot of praise for Torrey Craig after the Phoenix Suns won Game 2 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers on April 18.
“Craig made just about every big shot for us tonight,” Paul said. “If you watch games, it’s the timing of the shots. Sometimes when the team got a chance to cut it from six to four, three and then Craig will hit a 3 to put us up nine. It was the timing of the shots that he made and that’s big in this series.”
Craig finished with 17 points in Game 2 while shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-8 from deep. The 32-year-old, who had 22 points and four rebounds in Game 1, is averaging 19.5 points and 3.5 rebounds through the first two games of the Suns-Clippers series while shooting an incredible 71.4% from the floor and 58.3% from 3-point land.
The Suns won Game 2 by a final score of 123-109 to even up the best-of-seven series. Games 3 and 4 are in Los Angeles at Crypto.com Arena. Phoenix will have to win one of those games to reclaim home-court advantage.
Chris Paul Finally Beat Scott Foster
Going into Game 2, Paul had lost 13 consecutive playoff games Scott Foster officiated. During his postgame press conference following Game 2, CP3 talked about winning a game Foster officiated.
“I ain’t notice,” Paul said. “Nah I think we all about in this run minimizing distractions. So that is what it is. I’m sure it’s still gon’ be a thing. League know what it is. So can’t control it. Ain’t been able to control all the other ones, so it ain’t gon’ change now. So the game is the game.”
Paul played 38 minutes in Game 2, finishing with 16 points, four rebounds and eight assists while shooting 8-of-14 overall. The 12-time All-Star, who is looking to win his first NBA title, had a plus-minus of +14.
Chris Paul Had an X-Ray After Game 2
Paul underwent an X-ray on his right hand after Game 2, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. Fortunately for the Suns, the results came back clean.
Paul averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists during the regular season while shooting 44.0% from the field, 37.5% from beyond the arc and 83.1% from the free-throw line. The Wake Forest product signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the Suns in August 2021.
Phoenix almost traded Paul to the Brooklyn Nets in February for All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, according to Haynes. The Nets wound up trading Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, while the Suns kept Paul and acquired Kevin Durant from Brooklyn. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, though, wouldn’t label Paul as “untouchable.”
“Talent-wise, Booker and Durant rise above the rest of this roster. Frankly, they rise above the majority of this league. A healthy Durant has a credible case as the best player in basketball. Booker has climbed up so far on the NBA ladder he’s running out of rungs,” Buckley wrote in March. “They aren’t the only players in this discussion for the Phoenix Suns, though. While they could shop Chris Paul or Deandre Ayton, it’s hard to envision finding a better plug-and-play option for either spot. It would more likely involve Ayton than Paul, since the former is younger and plays less of a premium position, but neither seems super likely. Not super likely isn’t the same as impossible, though, and that’s before accounting for how an early playoff exit might impact that likelihood. What if teams dare Paul to consistently score on them, and the 37-year-old can’t? What if Ayton can’t stay on the floor again? The Suns could then be in line for substantial changes this summer, just none that involve Booker or Durant.”
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