Suns superstar point guard Chris Paul continued his dominant form of late as Phoenix took game Game One of the NBA Finals today with a 118-105 over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Paul, 36, reminded fans just why Phoenix traded for him during last year's off-season with a starring role today, producing a game-high 32 points to go along with nine assists.
The 11-time NBA All-Star scored 16 points during a sensational third quarter that had Phoenix fans who waited 28 years to see the NBA Finals again screaming in delight.
Finally playing for the title in his 16th season, Paul has the Suns in the NBA Finals for only the third time, and it sure looked as if they could make this ending different than the other two. He became the first player since Michael Jordan to notch at least 30 points and eight assists in their debut NBA Finals game.
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Meanwhile, All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker scored 27 points, while centre Deandre Ayton added 22 points and 19 rebounds to continue his breakout stretch of play in his first postseason.
Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who today made his return from a hyperextended knee that kept him for Milwaukee's past two games, had 20 points and 17 rebounds. Khris Middleton scored 29 points.
Both teams started well in a competitive first half. The biggest lead was eight, with Mikal Bridges' 3-pointer making it 57-49 at the break.
But Paul shifted the Suns into another gear in the third. His opening jumper provided the first double-digit lead of the game, and he followed with a four-point play for the Suns' next basket.
He scored eight straight Phoenix points later in the period, hitting a 3-pointer, dancing around Bobby Portis for a layup and then hitting another 3. He then fired a pass to Ayton, who was fouled and made both free throws to make it 88-68 with 2:20 left.
The Bucks cut it down to seven near the midpoint of the fourth before Paul helped the Suns restore a safe margin. He found Booker for a 3-pointer, stole the ball from Middleton and then hit a jumper to make it 106-94.
The series opener was the first NBA Finals game in Phoenix since Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls won their third straight championship here in Game 6 in 1993. The Suns, who came into the NBA with the Bucks in 1968, made their only other finals appearance in 1976.
They hadn't even made the playoffs since 2010 and just two years ago were last in the Western Conference with a 19-63 record.
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