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Chris Paul Blames 5-Turnover Game 4 Performance on 'Bad Decision-Making'
July 15, 2021
Chris Paul took responsibility for his poor performance following the Phoenix Suns' 109-103 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Wednesday's Game 4 of the 2021 NBA Finals.
"Bad decision-making," he told reporters when discussing his five turnovers. "... I gotta take care of the ball."
The Suns' 17 turnovers is a major reason they wasted Devin Booker's 42-point showing and now find themselves tied at two games apiece after winning the first two contests at home. Paul was also anything but his typical self and finished with 10 points, seven assists and five turnovers behind 5-of-13 shooting from the field.
The turnovers weren't the only concern for the visitors.
Booker was the only Suns player in double figures after the third quarter, as the offense often broke down to him creating plays and everyone else struggling. That worked for some time thanks to his incredible showing, but he eventually went to the bench with his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter.
He didn't appear to have the same rhythm when he returned down the stretch, which left a struggling offense without any answers as Khris Middleton took over on the other end.
Fortunately for the Suns, they still have home-court advantage and won the first two games in their arena by a combined 23 points. They are also 8-2 at home throughout these playoffs and have largely controlled play while taking the court in front of raucous crowds.
A similar showing in Saturday's Game 5 would give them the momentum right back and put them on the verge of winning their first championship in franchise history.
Paul is a future Hall of Famer and one of the best point guards in league history who has largely led the way for Phoenix throughout these playoffs. If he returns to his typical form and Booker plays like he did in Game 4, the Suns will still be in position to win the championship despite these two straight losses.