aul didn't have an opening statement so much as a sustained one. He moved the curve by inches in the first quarter — a clean look here, a contested stop there — and let the game come to him.
The first quarter is where it broke open — leonard 10' turnaround fadeaway (6 pts) (paul 2 ast) (+2.0). From that possession on, the curve never had to be rebuilt the same way twice.
The fourth was control. Paul closed at -2.5 without needing a final flourish to get there.
Key moments