Behind five late free throws and an 18-point, seven-assist, four-rebound performance, Paul helped lead the Suns to an 84-80 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night in Los Angeles. Phoenix now leads the series three games to one and has a chance to advance to its first NBA Finals since 1992-93 in Game 5 at home on Monday.
With the Suns leading 71-70 with 6:35 to play, Paul threw a lob pass to Suns center Deandre Ayton — who finished with a career-high 22 rebounds along with 19 points — for a two-handed slam, giving them a 3-point lead after no field goals were made by either team for 3:44.
Minutes later, Paul drove by Clippers center Ivica Zubac for a layup, giving Phoenix a 77-74 advantage with 3:43 left. Paul missed his final three shots of the game but came through when the Suns needed him most, hitting five free throws in the last seven seconds to eventually give them a two-possession advantage and the win.
After the game, Paul said he was proud of his younger teammates for overcoming a game in which they collectively shot 31-of-86 from the field, including a second half in which they scored 34 points, shot 10-of-41 (24.4 percent) from the floor and went 0-of-9 from 3-point range.