Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton are having outstanding seasons in Phoenix. However, the rise of the Suns to second place in the Western Conference has even more to do with a savvy veteran who came over in the offseason — Chris Paul. The Suns finished last season 8-0 in the bubble before bowing out in the playoffs, but adding Paul has brought even more to the team in terms of a winning mentality. He led the Oklahoma City Thunder to finish as the five-seed in the West — definitely an example of overperforming — last season, but with Oklahoma City looking to rebuild, Paul moved west. As long as his hamstrings hold up down the stretch, he should guide the Suns through a lengthy playoff run.
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NBA News: The Rumor Mill
Hornets’ Ball ready to return within 7-10 days
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte’s star rookie guard, can resume individual basketball activity. On Monday, his CT scan on his fractured right wrist came back, and it has healed. The team has not officially released a timetable for his return, but an unnamed team source indicated that 7-10 days was definitely within the realm of possibility. Ball was picked third overall in the 2020 NBA draft and has put up 15.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 boards per game in 2020-21.
Curry drops 49 on Philadelphia
The Golden State Warriors dropped Philadelphia on the road behind 49 points from Stephen Curry, 20 coming in the fourth period. Curry was the first NBA player who was at least 33 years of age to score at least 30 points in 11 consecutive games. He broke the streak that Kobe Bryant had held, putting up at least 30 in 10 consecutive games in December 2002. Last week, Curry passed Wilt Chamberlain to become the team’s top scorer of all time, but his stats have taken on a new level this season. In April, he has played 10 games, and he is averaging 39.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in those contests. The biggest boost to his recent scoring has come from outside the arc. In Monday’s win over Philadelphia, he went 10 of 17 from downtown, and in his last six games, he has made a combined 54 three-pointers. As a result, Golden State has won five of their last six, sitting in ninth place. They finish with nine of their last 14 games against teams with losing records, so they’re definitely in the playoff hunt.
Nuggets ink Austin Rivers to ten-day deal
Austin Rivers, 28, started 2020-21 with the New York Knicks, but they shipped him to Oklahoma City in a three-team deal that also brought Philadelphia in right at the trade deadline. Rivers was not someone the Thunder considered part of their rebuild, so they waived him. Denver is taking a flyer on him, and he will bring shooting and size to the Nuggets’ backcourt. He also has playoff experience, playing in 45 games with Houston and the Clippers. Because he was not on any NBA roster after April 9, he could appear in the postseason with Denver. The Nuggets are currently in fourth place in the West and are riding a three-game winning streak. However, star point guard Jamal Murray went down with an ACL tear earlier in April, so the team needed a replacement to have hopes of a long playoff run. The point guard rotation will now include Facundo Campazzo, Shaquille Harrison and P.J. Dozier along with Rivers. Monte Morris had taken Murray’s spot, but now he is out for an extended period of time with a hamstring injury. The team’s offense focuses on Nikola Jokic, an MVP candidate who leads the squad in points, boards and assists per game. Rivers now joins his sixth team, as he was drafted by New Orleans and has played for the Clippers, the Rockets (twice), the Wizards, the Knicks, and now the Nuggets.
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