After kicking the tires on a subsequent trade for Paul, whose contract at the time was regarded as something close to a negative asset, the reality of OKC being stuck with Paul set in. Eight months later, the Thunder are in range of a top-four playoff seed and Paul is angling toward an All- nod.

1. C B S S P O R T S . C O M 2 4 7 S P O R T S M A X P R E P S S C O U T S P O R T S L I N E S H O P P L AY G O L F S T U B H U B    
Chris Paul, Kyle Lowry both in the running for All-NBA as they
continue to make skeptics look foolish
It could come down to either Paul or Lowry for the final third-team guard spot
by 11 hrs ago • 5 min readBrad Botkin
2019-20 NBA Season
NBA Power Rankings |
Trade Tracker
Scores | Schedule | Odds
USA Today Images



When the , already having traded to the
Los Angeles , decided to trade to the
Houston this past summer, it was supposed to be something of a
tank concession: Load up on young players and draft picks and buckle up for
a bunch of losses in the near term.
had other ideas.
After kicking the tires on a subsequent trade for Paul, whose contract at the
time was regarded as something close to a negative asset, the reality of OKC
being stuck with Paul set in. Eight months later, the Thunder are in range of a
top-four playoff seed and Paul is angling toward an All- nod.
Paul's Eastern Conference clone, in so many ways, is : An
undersized, tough-as-nails point guard having a spectacular season for a
Toronto team that was left for dead in the wake of losing
. Entering play on Tuesday, Toronto holds the East's No. 2 seed while
Lowry could very well be Paul's main competition for the final third-team All-
NBA guard spot.
If votes were cast today, the first-team guards would almost certainly be
and , with Westbrook and probably
locked into the second-team spots. Paul, Lowry and the Atlanta Hawks'
are probably the top three candidates for two third-team spots.
Whether Paul and Lowry both get the nod or just one of them, or by some
chance neither of them, their respective seasons have already written a
Oklahoma City Thunder Paul George
Clippers Russell Westbrook
Rockets
Chris Paul
NBA
Kyle Lowry
Raptors Kawhi
Leonard
James Harden Luka Doncic Damian Lillard
Trae
Young
  HOME SCORES SCHEDULE STANDINGS     LO G I N

2. cautionary tale for those looking to prematurely write off aging stars. With
Lowry, I was guilty of it myself. When Leonard left, I figured a Raptors fire sale
was inevitable. When they signed Lowry to a one-year, $31 million extension,
I thought it was a maneuver aimed at (hopefully) upping Lowry's trade value
by virtue of his being locked up until the summer of 2021. ?
? I presumed those guys would be gone, too.
But here the Raptors are, fully intact -- sans Leonard -- winners of 21 of their
last 25 games and one of just three teams to have already clinched a playoff
spot. Lowry, as usual, is at the heart of it all. Entering play on Tuesday, Lowry
is averaging 19.7 points, 7.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. Those are all
top-three marks for his career.
He's also shooting a career-high 86 percent from the free-throw line, where
he's getting almost twice as many times per game as he did last season.
Lowry is also shooting more 3-pointers than ever, and as such, his 120.2
points per 100 shot attempts ranks in the 87th percentile among guards and
represents the third-most efficient mark of his career, per Cleaning the Glass.
Lowry's efficiency skyrockets when it counts most. Entering Tuesday, he's
shooting 48 percent from the field, including 44 percent from beyond the arc,
in clutch situations, per NBA.com. He's also scored 94 total clutch points,
tops on the Raptors and just two shy of the great Damian Lillard, who has
developed something of a superhero reputation in the clutch.
Paul, meanwhile, leads the league with 144 total clutch points this season,
and he's shooting 53.4 percent from the field in those situations. That's the
fifth-highest clutch shooting percentage in the league among guard who've
attempted at least 40 shots in such situations. The No. 1 clutch shooting
percentage among guard belongs to Paul's OKC teammate, Shai Gilgeous-
Alexander, at 57.4 percent entering Tuesday.
Add it up, and the Thunder's league-leading 29 clutch wins (defined as
games that were within five points at any point in the final five minutes)
comes as no surprise. And it's not just the numbers. Paul, as has always been
his trademark, has made so many winning plays this season, particularly in
the most high-leverage situations.
On Sunday, Paul finished with 28 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a
road win over Boston, but it was a play he helped make that won't show up in
any box score that won the game. With 13.8 seconds remaining, the Thunder
were trailing Boston 104-103. By now this video has made the rounds, but if
you haven't seen it, watch Paul, at 34 years old, cut off one of the fastest
players in the world in , which forces Walker to reverse course
and turn right back into , who gets the steal and eventual
game-winning basket.
Marc Gasol Serge
Ibaka
Kemba Walker
Dennis Schroder
Paul/KembaPaul/Kemba

3. Again, Schroder will get the steal and the bucket in the stat sheet. But Paul
made that play happen. And Boston still had a chance to win the game on
the other end, but again Paul was up to the challenge, refusing to give an
inch in a one-on-one post matchup with , who has eight inches
on him. Paul holds his ground against the backdown, swipes down at the ball
which interrupts Tatum's upstroke, then contests the shot on the release.
Again, other than deep in the annals of NBA matchup data, you won't find
traditional statistical recognition of that play, but let's just say there's a reason
the Thunder are plus-106 during Paul's clutch minutes this season, which is
the third-best mark in the league behind only his teammates Gilgeous-
Alexander and Schroder.
Everything that Paul brings to a basketball game has bled into his
teammates. This is one of the more connected teams in the league.
Impossible as it seems, the Thunder, who, again, were supposed to be
tanking, are actually ahead of the Rockets, who traded for Westbrook with
championship intentions.
These are remarkable stories happening in Oklahoma City and Toronto. Nick
Nurse is likely the frontrunner for Coach of the Year, and Billy Donovan isn't
far behind. Schroder could win Sixth Man of the Year. Gilgeous-Alexander is a
star in the making. is an All-Star vying for his own All-NBA nod.
But so much of this is about Paul and Lowry, who remain consummate point
guards in an era increasingly devoid of positional designations. There is still
value in floor generals. The Raptors are Lowry's team. OKC is Paul's team.
And neither of them should've ever been doubted.
CBS Sports HQ Daily Newsletter
Get the best highlights and stories - yeah, just the good stuff
handpicked by our team to start your day.
Email Address
Sign Up
Jayson Tatum
Paul/TatumPaul/Tatum
Pascal Siakam

4. I agree that CBS Sports can send me the "CBS Sports HQ Daily Newsletter"
newsletter.
See All Newsletters
Our Latest Stories
Knicks cancel title
anniversary event
The Knicks were due to celebrate their 1970
title on March 21
Report: Bulls want open-
minded new GM
The Bulls are building an organization
backwards
Top picks: NBA best bets for
Tuesday
Also, watch SportsLine on CBS Sports HQ at
6 p.m. ET on weekdays for all the day's best
bets
Report: Cavs, Bickerstaff
agree to deal
Bickerstaff has been serving as team's
interim coach since the team parted ways
with John Beilein
LeBron walks back no fans
comment
LeBron said he would be 'disappointed' if
the outcome involved playing in empty
arenas, but...
Hawks beat Hornets in
bizarre game
The Hawks escaped with a 143-138 win
Lakers notch first win vs.
Clippers
The Lakers beat the Clippers for the first
time this meeting on Sunday afternoon
Lakers outpace Bucks in
Finals preview
Giannis and the Bucks failed to best Los
Angeles in their matchup LeBron and the
Lakers
Martel | Sponsored
Zenixo | Sponsored
No More Prostate Issues
Blurred Vision And Headache: Possible Causes
CBSSports.com
Charles Barkley blasts NBA commentators for saying LeBron James should win
MVP over Giannis
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the incredible season he's having should make this an easy call, Barkley
argued
Comlix | Sponsored
Universal Solution For Snoring

5. HELP ABOUT US CAREERS ADVERTISE SITE MAP NEWSLETTERS MOBILE APPS COLLEGE NETWORK AD CHOICE CLOSED CAPTIONING PRIVACY TERMS
MOBILE USER AGREEMENT CA PRIVACY/INFO WE COLLECT CA DO NOT SELL MY INFO
© 2004-2020 CBS INTERACTIVE. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc.
Images by Getty Images and US Presswire
    