Report: Suns expect Chris Paul to miss Games 3-5 with left groin strain
Chris Paul #3 of the Phoenix Suns brings up the ball during a 112-100 win over the LA Clippers in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Suns point guard Chris Paul suffered a groin injury on Monday against the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix is preparing to be without him for Games 3-5, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Charania adds that Paul is expected to be re-evaluated in a week after getting an MRI on his groin on Tuesday.
The Suns also announced on Tuesday night that Paul is considered day-to-day with a left groin strain.
Paul suffered the injury in the third quarter of a 97-87 loss in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals, and Phoenix now finds itself down 2-0 and needing to find a way to extend its postseason without its floor general.
“He couldn’t push off of it or anything,” Suns head coach Monty Williams told reporters on Monday after the game. “We’re not quite sure what it is right now, but it seems to be something in the groin area.”
With five minutes left to play in the third quarter, Paul was seen holding his groin area and walking toward the bench after boxing out Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who recorded an offensive rebound on the play before scoring.
Paul, who turns 38 on Saturday, was up to eight points and six assists in just over 25 minutes of action before exiting with the injury.
Luckily for Paul and the Suns, the point guard will have few extra days to recover. Game 3 in Phoenix won’t tip off until Friday night.
“I mean, it’s an unfortunate event, obviously,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “I don’t know what it is yet. I haven’t really got to talk to him, but all we can do is hope he has a speedy recovery. We’re going to be behind him. We’re going to hold it down while he’s out or if he’s out. We’ll just take it from there.”
Devin Booker on Chris Paul:
"We're going to hold it down while he's out — or if he's out." pic.twitter.com/ec6pvmcKr7
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) May 2, 2023
This story was first published by Sactown Sports‘ sister station, Arizona Sports.
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