Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul was all smiles after his side's crucial 114-111 road win against the New Orleans Pelicans, in a city that holds a special place in the heart of the 'Point God'.
With Devin Booker out for the game with a hamstring injury, Chris Paul assumed a greater offensive load on Friday and took it in stride.
He posted a gaudy playoff stat line of 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting, with 14 assists, while Deandre Ayton was superb, riding a hot start to a 28-point (13-of-20 shooting), 17-rebound showing.
Paul, who was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets back in 2005, dismissed a question in the post-game press conference about whether he heard fans in the arena chanting their displeasure for their former favourite son, and wrapped his arms around the city he once called home.
"These are my people, man. I grew up here," he said. "Six of the best years of my life I played for New Orleans.
"I know how I am with this city, that will never change. I have my parents here, my family here.
"There's nothing like it, it will always be so much love between me and the city here."
Touching on the game, Paul was full of praise for both Suns centers who played key roles in Game 3.
"[Ayton's start] was huge, it was big-time," he said. "You can't replace everything that Devin [Booker] does for us, so it's going to be different spurts, where guys get going.
"[Ayton] kept us in this game in order to bring it home down the stretch… he kept telling me he was going to get me loose, and to stop passing and just shoot the ball.
"JaVale [McGee] was amazing. We talked about it – this was the third game where Larry Nance came in and they started to switch everything – so we wanted to try and punish them on the inside.
"JaVale's energy is contagious – him rebounding and getting those put-backs kept us in the game, too."
The Suns were a top-10 team in three-point percentage during the regular season, but shot just four-of-26 from downtown on Friday.
Paul went into detail about why he feels that stat bodes well for his side going forward in this series, and why he thinks they are built to handle adversity and win tough games.
"We got a lot of good looks," he said. "I was one-for-six, and I didn't realise we were four-of-26 [from three-point range] – but the thing about it is we got great looks.
"All season long we've been a really good shooting team, so to win this game without shooting well, that's a plus for us, because if we can get the same shots next game, hopefully we can knock them down.
"We've got a good group who have been together – we're sort of battle-tested when it comes to things. We went on an incredible run last year, and we're still building.
"I don't know the amount of playoff games our team has under our belts, so everything is still new to a certain extent, but guys know what to expect, and we know what we want to get to [offensively] down the stretch."
Curry ignites crucial Warriors comeback, Mitchell drops 44 in Cavaliers loss
The Golden State Warriors played an inspired second half to recover from a 20-point deficit and defeat the visiting New Orleans Pelicans 120-109 on Tuesday.
As usual, the Warriors were led by reigning NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry with a game-high 39 points on 14-of-25 shooting, hitting eight-of-15 three-point attempts while adding eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
It was a rough start for Golden State as they found themselves trailing 63-43 late in the second quarter, but some early shenanigans between Draymond Green and the entire Pelicans team seemed to spur some life into the Warriors defense after the break.
In typical Warriors fashion, they exploded in the third quarter in front of their home fans, putting together a 39-26 period to cut the lead to four going into the last.
They ratcheted up the defense even further down the stretch, holding the visitors to just 20 points while piling on 35 of their own as Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole all drained deep triples to blow the roof off Chase Center.
Despite the loss, it was another strong showing from Pelicans centrepiece Brandon Ingram. After his first career triple-double on Thursday and a career-high 13 assists on Saturday, Ingram again looked every bit of an All-NBA initiator with a team-high 26 points (nine-of-22), eight rebounds and seven assists.
A loss for the Warriors would have seen them drop to 39-38 and potentially swap spots with the eighth-seeded Pelicans, but they instead improved to 40-37 and leapfrogged the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves (39-37) in the process.
Mitchell's 44 not enough for Cleveland
Donovan Mitchell dropped 44 points on the road but it was not enough as the Cleveland Cavaliers fell 120-118 to the Atlanta Hawks.
Mitchell shot 15-of-33 with five rebounds and five assists, while Darius Garland added 27 points (10-of-22) and Evan Mobley chipped in 20 points (10-of-13), 15 rebounds, four assists and four blocks – but the Hawks had all the answers.
Atlanta had seven players score double figures, led by Dejounte Murray's 29 (11-of-22). Trae Young ran the show with 10 assists on an off-shooting night (four-of-15 for 16 points), and the Hawks' bench delivered in a big way.
Backup center Onyeka Okongwu had a wildly efficient 20 minutes with 21 points (five-of-five from the field and 11-of-12 free throws), nine rebounds and three blocks, and trade deadline acquisition Saddiq Bey had 11 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
Hornets win a shootout in Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma City Thunder received 30-point efforts from Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe – but still lost 137-134 to the surprisingly in-form Charlotte Hornets.
Giddey had one of the best statistical games of his career with 31 points (14-of-22), 10 rebounds and nine assists; rookie Williams had 31 points (11-of-16), four assists and four steals; and Joe hit six-of-11 threes and 11-of-18 overall for his 33 points.
But P.J. Washington was not going to let the Hornets lose, scoring a career-high 43 points on 16-of-24 shooting as he added six rebounds and five assists in an eye-opening performance from the well-rounded six-foot-seven 24-year-old.
It was a standout showing off the bench for the spectacularly bouncy 22-year-old second-year center Kai Jones, collecting the first double-double of his career with 12 points (five-of-five) and 14 rebounds in 22 minutes.
The loss for the Thunder means they slipped to 37-39, still inside the play-in tournament placings, but now tied with the 11th-ranked Dallas Mavericks.
Wade and Nowitzki headline 2023 Hall of Fame class, Spurs honoured with Popovich and Parker
The stacked 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class was reportedly revealed on Tuesday with Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Becky Hammon and Gregg Popovich making the cut.
Wade, Nowitzki, Gasol and Parker are all first-ballot selections after playing their final seasons in 2018-19, while it was also Popovich's first time on the ballot after previously declining Hall of Fame consideration in recent years.
Hammon's elevation was also considered simply a matter of time, with the six-time WNBA All-Star, former long-time San Antonio Spurs assistant and 2022 WNBA championship-winning coach with the Las Vegas Aces having put together a stellar resume since turning pro in 1999.
With Hammon's ties to the Spurs, it figures to be a special night for San Antonio fans as Parker and Popovich are enshrined, joining fellow linchpins of their dynasty Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili after their inductions in 2020 and 2022 respectively.
Popovich coached the Spurs to all five of their NBA titles – 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014 – while Parker contributed to the last four after arriving in 2001 following an impressive youth career in France.
The six-foot-two point guard made six All-Star teams, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team three seasons in a row from 2012-14 as the Spurs battled LeBron James' Miami Heat in a legendary rivalry.
His number nine jersey was retired by the Spurs, as is Nowitzki's number 41 jersey with the Dallas Mavericks.
Nowitzki, who for a long period was European basketball's biggest star, brought the Mavericks their only title in 2011 as he took down the Heat in James' first season there.
The German was named league MVP in 2007, and went on to make 14 All-Star teams, while earning 12 All-NBA selections, including four on the First Team in the space of five years.
While both Popovich and Nowitzki could headline a Hall of Fame class in any given year, that honour may go to Wade, who was the architect of all three of Miami's titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013.
Drafted in 2003, Wade ended up carrying the Heat – alongside Shaquille O'Neal – to their first ever championship in only his third season.
It was the beginning of a run that saw him make 14 All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, and three NBA All-Defensive teams as he rivalled James and Kobe Bryant for the status of best player in the league in 2009 and 2010.
While Wade may have been at his peak in 2009 and 2010, both of those seasons ended with Gasol lifting the title with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Gasol spent just six-and-a-half seasons in Los Angeles, but it is where he will be most fondly remembered after making such a profound impact that he recently had his number 16 jersey retired into the rafters alongside running-mate Bryant.
Adding to his NBA resume was his spectacular international play, where he became the all-time leading scorer in EuroBasket play, averaging 20.4 per game in 58 appearances for his country, while also carrying Spain to their first ever FIBA World Cup gold medal in 2006.
NBA Game of the Week: Embiid and Sixers face Doncic duel after Nuggets no-show
After Joel Embiid's calf injury robbed the NBA of a matchup between him and MVP rival Nikola Jokic on Monday, his Philadelphia 76ers turn their attention to another superstar opponent in Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Embiid was accused by some of "ducking" the Denver Nuggets' two-time MVP Jokic, who inspired Denver to a 116-111 victory over the Sixers with his 29th triple-double of the season.
The Sixers were also without James Harden because of a sore left Achilles.
Whether Embiid and Harden will be back in the fold for the visit of the Mavs remains to be seen, but what is beyond doubt is that the Sixers will be facing a man on a mission in Doncic.
Doncic is aiming to drag the Mavericks into the playoffs and, having seen his 16th technical foul and a one-game suspension rescinded prior to Monday's game with the Indiana Pacers, the Slovenian subsequently starred with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists to end Dallas' four-game losing streak.
He has averaged 31.1 points per game in March, a month he began by putting up 42 in a home win over the Sixers.
Despite his best efforts, the Mavs are still on the outside looking in as they seek a place in the Western Conference play-in tournament. With a 37-39 record, they are the 11th seed, but are just games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are in position to enter the playoffs as the sixth seed.
The Mavs have six games with which to claw their way in to either the play-in or the playoffs outright. Ending the month how they began it against the current third seed in the East would be a big step towards securing a spot in the postseason.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Philadelphia 76ers - Joel Embiid
With Embiid on the court, the Sixers average 118.2 points per 100 possessions compared to 111.5 without. Defensively, they concede 108 points per 100 possessions with Embiid and 112.3 without. That's a point differential of plus 10.2 when they have their MVP contender compared to minus 0.8 when he is absent.
In other words, he is worth 11 points per 100 possessions. It's obvious to say the Sixers need Embiid out there, but the numbers illustrate just how important he is.
Dallas Mavericks - Luka Doncic
Were the Mavs in a better position in the standings, Doncic might have his own compelling case for MVP. He is averaging a combined 49.7 points, assists and rebounds per game, the most in the NBA.
KEY BATTLE - Can Mavs limit Sixers' three-point prowess?
A strength for Dallas this season has been defending the three-ball. They have allowed opponents to shoot just 35 per cent from beyond the arc, with only six teams faring better than the Mavs in that regard. The Sixers, meanwhile, boast the second-best three-point shooting percentage in the NBA at 38.6.
In that area of the game, it's a true strength-on-strength matchup that figures to go a long way to deciding if the Mavs can complete a season sweep.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Mavericks prevailed 133-126 in March in Dallas, but have not won in Philadelphia since December 2019.
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