Chris Paul is one of only five NBA players to ever do this

Chris Paul has been one of the best players in the NBA during the sum of his 17-year career.

He can now lay claim to being one of the best players in NBA postseason history, too.

What were Chris Paul’s stats against the Pelicans?

• In the Phoenix Suns’ 110-99 Game 1 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans Sunday night, Paul scored 30 points and handed out 10 assists (to go along with seven rebounds).

• Per ESPN Stats & Info, Paul became only the fifth player in NBA history with 10 career playoff games of 30 points and 10 assists.
• He joins LeBron James (22), Michael Jordan (15), Jerry West (14) and Oscar Robertson (12) as the only players to have pulled off the feat.
• According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the 37-year-old Paul also became the oldest player in league history to record 30 points and 10 assists in a single playoff game, breaking the previous mark set by then 36-year-old Suns star Steve Nash in 2010.

What did the Phoenix Suns say about Chris Paul?

• Suns’ shooting guard Devin Booker told ESPN after the win that Paul, “is a true competitor and a true winner. When he wants it that bad, you can see it in his demeanor and see it in his walk, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone. He’s built for these moments.”

• Added Phoenix head coach Monty Williams: “It’s just his ability to understand he needs to take over a game. I don’t think I’ve been around anybody like Chris who has that innate feel for that time.”

Is Chris Paul the best NBA point guard?

• Paul was already in the discussion for best point guard in NBA history. The Sporting News’ Mike DeCourcy argued last year that Paul was arguably the third best point guard to ever play, behind only Isaiah Thomas and Magic Johnson.
• Wrote DeCourcy: “If you are debating the greatest point guards of all time, he (Paul) must be included, probably in the front row.”

• After making it to the NBA Finals for the first time in 2021, Paul is in the best position of his career to win a NBA title, with Yahoo Sports tabbing the Suns as the runaway favorite, followed the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics.