Chris Paul‘s availability could determine the Suns‘ chances to knock off the Lakers in the first round, and Phoenix fans have reason to be encouraged for Game 3. The veteran guard is listed as probable for Thursday’s contest in the official injury report, tweets Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.
After suffering a right shoulder contusion in Game 1, Paul was visibly limited in the Game 2 loss Tuesday night, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The shoulder was wrapped with kinesiology tape, but Paul moved much slower than usual and passed up midrange shots that he normally takes.
Suns coach Monty Williams didn’t want to risk further injury with so much of the series left to play. He took Paul out of the game four minutes into the second half and kept him on the bench for the rest of the third quarter. He let Paul play about two and a half minutes in the fourth quarter, but pulled him for good with 7:01 remaining.
“That was all me,” Williams said of the decision. “Just looking at him holding his arm the way that he was, I just couldn’t watch him run like that. He was trying to make plays. He battled. I just made a decision to take him out.”
Paul said he “heard a crack” after colliding with teammate Cameron Johnson in the second quarter on Sunday. Johnson’s shoulder hit the side of Paul’s face and caused his neck to twist. Paul grabbed his right trapezius in pain after the collision, but the problem turned out to be with his shoulder. Phoenix isn’t releasing much information on the injury, other than calling it a contusion.
The team spent two days working on Paul’s shoulder and arm mobility. He wasn’t listed on the Game 2 injury report, and the Suns were encouraged by the progress he showed at Tuesday’s shootaround. Those feelings quickly changed once the game began.
“He’s not able to make the passes he wants,” Williams told reporters afterward. “He was laboring tonight. I don’t want to get into too many details until I talk to him. But you could see that his arm wasn’t … he wasn’t even running the way he ran and dribbled the ball this morning.”
He looked pretty awful when he came back in briefly in the fourth quarter last night. His last pass was really weak and then he came out. Hope he returns, but don’t think he’ll be 100%.
Once again CP3 hurt in the playoffs. He ruined Houston chance against GS and now against LAL. Basketball gods always keep helping LBJ.
You’re forgetting his Hammy problems kept the Clippers out of contention as well. Second-round exits all the time.
Chris “Groundhog day” Paul. Playoff time. . . Injury time!
At least he has Allstate.
Without Paul, suns have zero chance.
Even when he was healthy he was the at most 2nd option, but more realistically the 4th best scoring option on the floor. He can pass, but surprisingly, most of that lineup surpassed him offensively.
Players today are soft, back in my playing days if you could walk you could play. If you couldn’t walk you’d be put down.
There’s a difference between playing pro basketball and playing shuffleboard at the YMCA. Hope they didn’t put too many of your friends down.
You don’t know what your talking about son. Kids these days don’t have respect for there elders. I’ve recently gotten my machine from my nephew and people on the web show no respect. No respect at all.
If you want my respect you can earn it.
It’s not a gift you get just because you didn’t die yet.
I feel like he should sit game 3 and hopefully be “good enough” for 4. No reason to over exert him if he’s gonna be playing like he did him game 2.
Last season was a glitch in the matrix – CP3 isn’t suppose to finish a playoff series without getting injured at some point.
Chris “always hurt” Paul. He’s foolish for pulling a man’s arm who is bigger and stronger than him. Bron is Iron Man and CP is like ant man without the large growth ability…
Karma!
Yeah coach he keeps losing the ball and he looks like he double-dribbled again, can you take him out.
Can’t understand all the hate for CP3 in here, not even one positive comment, SMH!
Dude didn’t get injured himself, nothin’ in his body failed him, right?
Just a freakish accident, a teammate did whack him hard, now that is everyone’s fault by CP3, all the hate spewed him ’bout him always getting injured, is nonsense, garbage & not true as it refers to this particular situation, really annoys me all the hateful people!
El Don you’re absolutely right but in the case of Chris Paul, personally I find his game annoying. He does the Antics and flops and the different little nuances trying to get away with stuff out there.
He’s a Hall of Famer eventually and he’s very skilled and he wins, but the way he grabs the ball out of the refs or other player’s hands or has to have things his way or just the “little general” crap is annoying. And if he gets hurt in the paint hanging with the big boys that’s not incidental.
But you’re right we shouldn’t be hating on him so much. He gives it his all, I’ll give him that for sure, respect for that for sure. It’s just a little annoying crap he does with the acting and getting under the skin is annoying. Is it within the rules?, yes. Is he a pain in the ass and unlikable for me personally?, yes.
I would never use derogatory terms for him, I would just point out he’s never gotten out of the second round and he dribbles the ball too much and he’s a one man show too much. A great player yes but I can’t stand his game.
Its a shame would like to see what the Suns could do at full strength. No doubt they could be in WCF if there was no injuries.
Off base here. No one is hating this man on here. He gets hurt more often than not in the playoffs making him unavailable and effectively hurting his teams chances to advance. All people are doing as I see is acknowledging this fact. So what it was a rare or unexpected injury. It is what it is.
I’ve been saying all season long how overrated the Suns are. Even with a healthy CP3 they would have struggled to get to the second round. Phoenix is making the Lakers look way better than they actually are, can’t wait until the Nuggets destroy them.