Chris Paul was struggling through the first half and – frankly – looking a little old and creaky.
The moment was fleeting.
The 36-year-old Paul responded with a vintage performance in the second half, finishing with 14 points and 18 assists as the Phoenix Suns rallied for a 112-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.
“It’s pretty cool to watch greatness,” Suns coach Monty Williams said.
Paul is now third in NBA history with 10,346 career assists, passing both Mark Jackson and Steve Nash. The point guard scored all of his points in the second half and dished out 10 assists to help the Suns steamroll the Pelicans down the stretch.
“I’m just inspired by it honestly,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “Been a fan for a really long time. It’s really fun to see, it’s really fun to be a part of it. A long time from now, I’ll be able to say I got to play with Chris Paul.”
The man himself played the first six years of his career with the then-New Orleans Hornets, and paid tribute to his family who were watching on in the crowd as well as New York Pelicans coach and former team-mate Willie Green.
“Man, it’s amazing,” Paul said: “My family is here, my dad who put the ball in my hands when it first started. And playing against New Orleans where it all started for me. That city will always be my family.
“It’s an honour and a privilege for me and I’m grateful and I think god that I’m still able to play.”
“It means a lot. Not just to be on this team or still in the league, but just to be playing. I don’t take that for granted.”
Paul earned the No. 3 spot in assists late in the first half, finding Jae Crowder for a wide open 3-pointer. It’ll take Paul a while to continue to move up the list. Jason Kidd is No. 2 with 12,091 assists ,while John Stockton is No. 1 with 15,806.