Chris Paul saved the Oklahoma City Thunders season.
In the final minutes of the 4th quarter on Monday, the veteran point player made back-to-back three-pointers to tie Game 6 of their first-round series with the Houston Rockets, and then sank a pair of totally free tosses to provide OKC the lead for good in a 104-100 success. A win-or-go-home Game 7 is set for Wednesday.
” This is who we are,” Paul told the TNT broadcast afterwards. “Were developed for stuff like this. A lot of guys on our group have actually been pressed out, traded or whatnot, but we simply stick and we keep fighting.”
Paul scored 28 points on Monday, pushing the group that traded him last summer season to the brink. A year after he assisted lead the Rockets to Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference finals, Houston traded him, in addition to four first-round choices, to Oklahoma City for former MVP Russell Westbrook. The move signal a rebuild for the Thunder, who likewise delivered Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers last summertime, however Pauls constant hand directed a Thunder group to the playoffs on the strength of their execution in clutch circumstances all year.
Westbrook and Schroder traded layups, and then Paul beat Covington off the dribble, drawing a reach-in foul to set the stage for the consent complimentary throws. A Westbrook turnover on the other end and a pair of Danilo Gallinari complimentary tosses sealed the offer. Westbrook and fellow former MVP James Harden completed 1-for-6 from the field with three turnovers– 2 of which resulted in Paul takes– over the final 4 minutes.
” Hes got unbelievable basketball IQ,” Thunder coach Billy Donovan said of Paul. Hes got an extraordinary will to win. When you have a guy with that kind of mind, manipulating and surveying the court the way he does, he did an unbelievable job.
Harden totaled 32 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, however got little aid from anybody but Covington (18 points) and wilted down the stretch. Westbrook returned from a quadriceps injury in Game 5, but hopped to the locker space midway through the 3rd quarter of Game 6.
A Paul three-pointer provided Oklahoma City a 91-84 lead with 8:11 staying, but the game appeared to turn in Houstons favor when a Dennis Schroder layup was waved off, and Paul was called for a technical nasty. The Thunder got 25 points from Gallinari, however Paul ran the program. After Mondays game, Paul credited the players for their professionalism in the face of injustices outside the Orlando bubble.
The Thunder were seen as a stepping stone to Houstons Western Conference semifinals fulfilling with the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, however Paul had other plans.
The relocation signal a rebuild for the Thunder, who likewise delivered Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers last summer, but Pauls constant hand guided a Thunder group to the playoffs on the strength of their execution in clutch circumstances all year.
Monday was no different. A Paul three-pointer offered Oklahoma City a 91-84 lead with 8:11 remaining, but the video game appeared to kip down Houstons favor when a Dennis Schroder layup was waved off, and Paul was required a technical nasty. The series capped a 14-1 Rockets run that dug the Thunder a 92-86 hole with 4:19 left. Paul answered with consecutive 3s, the second of which he made over the outstretched arms of Robert Covington. Paul could be seen patting Covington on the rear as they headed the other way.
Video game 6 fourth quarter:
Chris Paul: 15 points on 5-7 shooting, 3-3 from 3, 0 turnovers
Westbrook and Harden: 10 points on 3-11 shooting, 1-4 from 3, 3 turnovers– Royce Young (@royceyoung) September 1, 2020
The Thunder got 25 points from Gallinari, but Paul ran the program. Oklahoma City outscored Houston by 20 points with the 35-year-old future Hall of Famer on the floor. Every other Thunder starter was a net minus.
It ought to not be lost on anyone that Paul is the president of the players union, a function that needed unmatched leadership throughout last weeks strike. In a matter of days, he has actually conserved the season for the league in a hotel ballroom and conserved it for his team on the AdventHealth Arena court. After Mondays video game, Paul credited the players for their professionalism in the face of oppressions outside the Orlando bubble.
Now, Game 7 comes down to Paul and Harden, the two former colleagues whose “unsalvageable” relationship led to last summer seasons trade. Both will go into with a credibility for disappointing playoff expectations, culminating in 2015s six-game loss to a Golden State Warriors group down Kevin Durant.
The Rockets got in the playoffs with title aspirations. The Thunder were viewed as a stepping stone to Houstons Western Conference semifinals meeting the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, however Paul had other plans. His clutch play on Monday silenced the critics, but Game 7 can alter the narrative completely.
” We offered ourselves an opportunity,” Paul yelled following his heroic turn. “Game 7, anything can happen.”
————–. Ben Rohrbach is a staff author for Yahoo Sports. Have a pointer? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach. More from Yahoo Sports:.
