Chris Paul is back home. He signed with the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason in a full circle moment for the future NBA Hall of Famer.
Paul is a Clippers icon. He was the point god in “Lob City” alongside the high-flying Blake Griffin and shot-swatting DeAndre Jordan, one of the most entertaining trios in league history.
He went on to battle with the Kevin Durant Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, and he led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA championship. And now he’s back in LA, where Paul is beloved.
Here, we look back at Paul’s three best games as a Clipper.
First player since 1984 with 20 points, 20 assists and zero turnovers
In December 2016, Paul demonstrated why he’s known as the point god, becoming the first player since 1984 to log 20 points and 20 assists without committing a turnover.
It was in the Clippers’ 133-105 win against the New Orleans Pelicans, and he achieved this in only 29 minutes of action. His right-hand man, Griffin, was suffering from an injury, so Paul controlled every facet of the offence.
His Head Coach, Doc Rivers, called the historic performance “beautiful”. It was flawless. And he did it on 50% shooting from the field at 31 years of age.
42 points, 15 assists, six steals vs Golden State Warriors
Going toe to toe with future Golden State Warriors legend Steph Curry, Paul showed who was the NBA’s elite at the point guard position by going off for 42 points and 15 assists in 2013.
Paul set the tone early, snatching the ball in transition with one of his six steals on the night before slamming it down for a rare jam in the first quarter. He was deadly efficient from the midrange and went off for 42 despite not having a red-hot shooting performance.
Lob City was in full effect, with Jordan and Griffin rocking the rim throughout. The Clippers took a 126-115 win on their home floor in a statement game against Curry.
Injured Chris Paul hits Game Seven game winner over Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs
In perhaps the most legendary moment of Paul’s Hall-of-Fame career, Paul hit a game winner over one of the NBA’s all-time greats to send the defending champion San Antonio Spurs packing.
An injured Paul played the last three quarters on one leg, after pulling up lame late in the first quarter with a strained left hamstring. He could barely run, but as the game got tight late, he dug deeper.
He scored 22 of his 27 points after his injury, including the famous game-winner. Eight seconds were on the clock when Paul picked the ball up at the top of the three-point line.
He beat Danny Green going right, then Duncan slid over to contest his shot. Somehow, he stopped on a dime, and on one leg threw up a floater over Duncan and found the bottom of the bucket.
There was one second remaining, and the Clippers swatted away an attempted lob on the other end for a historic victory. It is one of the greatest ever performances and shots in the NBA’s existence.