Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Suns Crush Lonzo Ball, Zion Williamson, Pelicans

It may be too early to focus on the playoffs, but the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns could be competing for seeding at season's end.

That means the Suns' commanding 111-86 head-to-head win Tuesday at Phoenix Suns Arena could prove to be important. Jae Crowder was one of six players who scored in double figures for the victors, who improved to 3-1 on the campaign.

New Orleans dropped to 2-2 despite a solid showing from Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Notable Player Stats

• Chris Paul, PG, PHO: 9 PTS, 9 AST
• Devin Booker, SG, PHO: 8 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL
• Jae Crowder, F, PHO: 21 PTS, 5-of-8 3PT
• Deandre Ayton, C, PHO: 13 PTS, 12 REB
• Cameron Johnson, F, PHO: 18 PTS
• Zion Williamson, F, NO: 20 PTS, 9-of-13 FG
• Brandon Ingram, F, NO: 13 PTS, 6 AST, 6 REB

Balanced Suns Dominant Throughout Victory

The beauty of having Chris Paul for any team is his ability to dissect opposing defenses and always make the right play, resulting in a number of players being involved in the scoring seemingly every game.

It is no wonder, then, that Phoenix entered play with five players averaging at least 11.0 points a night.

CP3 wasted no time getting others involved with four assists in the first quarter as Crowder immediately found his stroke from deep and carried the initial offense while New Orleans was focused on stopping Paul and Devin Booker. Deandre Ayton also demonstrated his soft touch around the basket while anchoring the rebounding efforts.

That the Suns built a 22-point halftime lead with Booker and Paul combining for just seven points was a testament to the ball movement and developing depth along the roster. Dario Saric, Cameron Payne and Cameron Johnson provided a spark off the bench, while Mikal Bridges worked into openings and helped turn defense into offense with multiple steals.

The depth had a chance to continue shining through into the second half as both teams played out the string in a blowout contest.

While star players often determine the outcomes of playoff games in crunch time, the only way the Suns are going to take the next step and battle the top teams in the daunting Western Conference is with a number of contributors taking advantage of Paul's facilitating and the defensive attention Booker consistently draws.

Tuesday's showing suggests Phoenix can do just that, and the fact that it came against a fellow Western Conference contender provides even more reason for optimism.

Turnovers, Poor Shooting Doom Pelicans

Williamson is always under the spotlight when the Pelicans take the court, but that was especially the case Tuesday.

After all, the second-year playmaker notched a double-double in each of his team's first three games but showed his first signs of struggle this season when he shot an ugly 7-of-22 (31.8 percent) from the field during Sunday's contest against the San Antonio Spurs.

He bounced back from that shooting performance right out of the gates.

Williamson overpowered Phoenix's defenders on the blocks and connected on six of seven shots in the first half alone. The Suns didn't have an answer for his combination of size and athleticism, and the Duke product was the only reason New Orleans was even somewhat within striking distance at intermission.

That was about the only bright spot for the visitors, who dealt with turnover issues against the Suns' perimeter defenders and an abysmal performance from three-point range.

New Orleans went just 3-of-24 (12.5 percent) from deep to go with those 16 turnovers, which is a formula for a blowout loss in just about any NBA game. Not even impressive play in the lane from a talent like Williamson was going to rescue the Pelicans with shooting like that, and it didn't help that they struggled to register a defensive stop until the game was out of hand.

The Pelicans can at least take solace in Williamson's bounce-back showing from the field and Ingram's ability to stuff the stat sheet with a handful of assists and rebounds to go with his scoring, but Tuesday felt like a burn-the-tape-type showing from Stan Van Gundy's team.

What's Next?

Both teams are on the road Thursday when the Pelicans face the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Suns play the Utah Jazz.