NBA teams
Royce Young, ESPN Staff Writer 3y

Phoenix Suns' Chris Paul 'makes it look normal' after notching 15 assists, zero turnovers in win vs. Denver Nuggets

NBA, Phoenix Suns

It had been seven years since a player had a game in the postseason with 15 assists and no turnovers, but Chris Paul accomplished the feat on Wednesday as the Phoenix Suns routed the Denver Nuggets 123-98 to take a 2-0 lead in the second-round series.

The last player to post a 15-to-0 assist-to-turnover ratio in a playoff game? Paul, in 2014, with the LA Clippers.

"Guys are open. I got the easy part. All I got to do is find them," said Paul, who had 17 points. "They got to make the shots. It's a credit to our coaching staff to tell you the truth. Things we've drilled all season long, it's nice to see it come into play in game form, especially in the playoffs."

According to the Elias Sports Bureau research, Paul had the 10th playoff game with 15 assists and zero turnovers since assists were first tracked in 1977-78. And Paul has accounted for three of those games himself.

"Obviously 15 assists, zero turnovers is unheard of," Devin Booker said, "but for Chris Paul, it's a thing that he does, and makes it look normal."

In the two games in the series, Paul has 26 assists to just one turnover. Going back to his last three playoff games, that ratio gets even more ridiculous, sitting at 38-2. He's the first player with 10 or more assists and one or fewer assists in three straight playoff games since Maurice Cheeks in 1989.

The Suns showcased their impressive balance with six players in double-figures, including all five starters. But even with 123 points, no player scored more than 18 (Booker). It was a clinic in distribution, particularly in a raucous second half, as Paul carved the Nuggets, finding efficient possessions nearly every trip down the floor. In Game 2, the Suns shot 15-of-24 off Paul passes. Of the 15 makes, 11 were uncontested looks.

"I'm telling you man, I've never been on a team quite like this where everybody can shoot it the way that they do," Paul said. "You don't have to try to find a certain guy."

Like in Game 1, Paul found ways to assert himself offensively, too, hitting a flurry of shots early in the fourth quarter as the Suns put the game away. It's one of Paul's many rare talents, an ability to sense moments and pick his spots to attack the game himself, or get teammates involved.

When Paul joined the surging young Suns in the offseason, there was a lot of talk about his role as a mentor, leader and culture cultivator. At age 36 and with plenty of tread on his tires, Paul's cerebral presence was thought to be something that could boost the Suns just as much as his play. But as he has shown this postseason, there's still plenty left in the tank.

"I would never doubt Chris," Suns head coach Monty Williams said. "His ability to manage the team, his track record, has success all over it and everywhere he's been he's been successful. He works his tail off, and yeah, he's 36 years old, but he's doing a lot of stuff off the floor so he can be effective on the floor."

The series now turns to Denver, where the Nuggets are desperate for a response. Paul has been using his experience as a motivator, recounting the 2007-08 second-round series against the San Antonio Spurs in which his New Orleans Pelicans took a 2-0 series lead, winning the opening two games by a combined 37 points, only to lose the series in seven games.

"We're cool. We're cool. We've got a great locker room, guys that understand the moment. A guy like Jae Crowder, who's been to the Finals," Paul said. "I've played a lot too. I'm always talking about 2007-08, we played against the Spurs when I was in New Orleans and we won the first two games, beat the brakes off of 'em. I remember looking over there at Tim [Duncan] and all them and they weren't fazed. It was just one game. That's what we talk about as a team too. It's just one game."

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