Pelicans' Jose Alvarado on Elbow from Chris Paul: 'You Can't Do S--t Like That'

Jose Alvarado took exception to Chris Paul elbowing him in the mouth late in the fourth quarter of the Phoenix Suns' 115-109 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 6 of the Western Conference playoffs on Thursday night. 

Speaking to reporters after the game, Alvarado addressed the play by Paul. 

"He's a Hall of Famer," Alvarado said. "I respect that. But you can't do s--t like that. ... I chipped my tooth. What can you do right now? I'll go home, wake up, go to the dentist and get new teeth so I can smile for the summer."

The play occurred with 1:01 remaining in the fourth quarter when Paul was driving to the basket. Alvarado was fighting to stay next to him when the Suns star raised his left elbow up into Alvarado's mouth. 

Alvarado was whistled for a foul, but he immediately ran to multiple officials and the Pelicans bench to show them that his mouth was bleeding. Paul made both free throws to give Phoenix a 110-104 lead. 

The one-on-one battle between Alvarado and Paul was one of the most intriguing storylines in the series. There were moments when the Pelicans rookie got the best of Paul, including forcing an eight-second violation in Games 4 and 5.     

Paul was assessed a flagrant-one foul by the NBA for kicking out his leg and hitting Alvarado in the groin in the second quarter of Game 5. There was no foul called during the game, but the league made the ruling after reviewing the play. 

The Pelicans put up a valiant effort in the series against Phoenix. They took the reigning Western Conference champions to six games, with two of their losses coming by a total of nine points. 

Paul ultimately had the last laugh against Alvarado and the Pelicans. The 12-time All-Star finished Game 6 with 33 points on 14-of-14 shooting from the field, eight assists and five rebounds in 36 minutes.