Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks got off to a brilliant start in Game 3 of their showdown with the Phoenix Suns, even giving Chris Paul a massive blemish in his playoff résumé.
The Mavs jumped to a 51-44 lead in the first half as they attempt to win their first game in the Western Conference semifinals series. In the process, they were able to limit the production of Paul and forced him to seven turnovers in the first 24 minutes of action.
Apparently, CP3 has never committed more than six turnovers in a half throughout his NBA playoffs career. He also made just two assists in the same span for a rather forgettable start.
Article Continues BelowChris Paul has never had six turnovers in a playoff half until now, per @ESPNStatsInfo. There is 7:50 remaining in the second quarter.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 7, 2022
Chris Paul has never had this many turnovers in a single half in his entire career (7).
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) May 7, 2022
Making things even more frustrating for Chris Paul, he's celebrating his 37th birthday. Sure enough, the last thing he wants is to put on a rather poor display. Or maybe he just feels too generous in his birthday that he's giving away the ball just like that?
As for the Mavs, though, they certainly took advantage of Paul's uncharacteristic errors to get the lead. They really need the win if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, so the Point God turning mortal and showing signs of weakness was a welcome boost for them.