Chris Paul leads Suns to pivotal win over Clippers to clinch playoff berth
Suns #Suns
Phoenix Suns fans let a nationally-televised audience know who they think the league’s most valuable player is Wednesday night.
“M-V-P!. M-V-P!”
Chris Paul may not win the NBA’s top individual award this season, but he once again showed why he’s arguably the biggest reason the Suns are ending an 11-year playoff drought.
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.
The 16-year veteran and 11-time All-Star posted a double-double of 28 points and 10 assists in leading Phoenix to a 109-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on ESPN as the Suns clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2010.
“‘I’m glad that the guys on our team get to play on this national level so people can see the work that they put in,” Paul said.
Devin Booker added 21 as six Suns (44-18) reached double figures in posting their first victory over the Clippers (43-21) in their third and final regular-season matchup.
Having been with the Suns longer than anyone else on the current team, Booker will make his first postseason career in his sixth NBA season in Phoenix.
“It feels great. It does,” Booker said. “It’s been a long time coming. I just shut my mouth for five years. Coach Monty (Williams) always says preparation meets opportunity and that’s the situation we’re in right now. I’ve been saying for a long time I don’t want to look back at what I’ve gone through, but I wouldn’t change the path for anything, either.”
Phoenix also clinched a top-six spot to avoid the play-in tournament between the seventh through 10 seeds for the final two playoff spots in each conference.
“I’m grateful,” Williams, who is in his second season in Phoenix, said. “I had no idea that we’d get here this quickly. I give praise to God for what he’s been able to do through our program with all of our guys in a short period of time. I’m cognizant that it has been relatively quick for us to get here. He’s done so many amazing things with our program. And our players, they’ve worked their tails off. They’ve done everything I’ve asked them to do. I’m just happy for them.”
Paul George led Los Angeles with 25 points as the Clippers were without fellow All-Star Kawhi Leonard (foot), Serge Ibaka (back) and Patrick Beverley (hand).
“Our communication sucked tonight,” said George, who played through an ankle injury he suffered in Monday’s loss at New Orleans. “We were just flat. We tried to pick it up late in the game, but we just allowed too many variables to take place tonight. Too many guys that shouldn’t have had the nights that they had, did, and that’s on us.”
The Suns were minus Jae Crowder (ankle) and Dario Saric (ankle), but got 15 points off the bench from Paul’s backup, Cameron Payne.
Frank Kaminsky III and Mikal Bridges each scored 13 while Torrey Craig added 10 in his second straight start.
“I never feel like we’re shorthanded even if guys are out,” Payne said. “I feel like we’ve got 15 strong guys that can come and any point and time and turn it on. That’s the blessing that our team has. We’re very deep and it’s next man up.”
Paul came to Phoenix in an offseason trade as the Suns dealt Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a future first-round pick to Oklahoma City for Paul and Abdel Nader, who is out indefinitely after having right knee arthroscopy Monday.
The 35-year-old point guard, who will turn 36 May 6, has led a team that just had its second-worst season in 2018-19 when winning just 19 games, to making the playoffs with 10 games remaining in the regular season.
“I feel like I say this all time, I know who I am,” Paul said. “I knew coming into the situation, I knew who Book was. Book had told me about some of the guys on the team. I knew from playing for Monty how detail oriented he was. Then when I got here and got a chance to see the culture they had already built. It’s special man.”
Paul scored 25 of his 28 points in the second half Wednesday with 15 coming in the fourth to follow up scoring the final seven points of Phoenix’s comeback win Monday night at New York.
“That’s CP3,” Payne said. “It’s amazing. He stepped up big in that fourth quarter. Just to be able to watch him and for him to be able to communicate with me. Talks to me during the game. Talking to me after the game. It’s a blessing to be in this position. He played well tonight. Did everything on both ends.”
Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
Support local journalism. Start your online subscription.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chris Paul leads Suns to pivotal win over Clippers to clinch playoff berth