PHOENIX — The last time we saw Chris Paul in the playoffs, he was sending home the Pelicans on a perfect shooting night. On Monday, we didn’t see him as much as we’re accustomed to.
The Suns took Game 1 against the Mavs in their second-round series with a 121–114 win. Paul, who scored 33 in the Round 1 clincher, played only 29 minutes in the victory, an indicator of how balanced his Phoenix team is. Dallas, on the other hand, got 45 points from Luka Dončić, but not much from everyone else. Every Suns starter scored in double figures, compared to only three for the Mavericks. Deandre Ayton actually led Phoenix in scoring despite missing his last five shots (he still converted on 60% from the field). Meanwhile, the same Dallas backcourt that had significant success against the Jazz wasn’t as much of a factor Monday—Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie combined for only 21 points on 9-of-24 shooting.
