Surgery scheduled after Chris Paul fractures hand in Warriors win over Pistons

Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul will have surgery next week after fracturing his left hand in Friday night’s 113-109 victory over the visiting Detroit Pistons.

The team made the announcement following the game.

There is no timetable for the 38-year-old Paul’s return, though he is expected to return this season.

Paul, a 19-year NBA veteran, suffered the injury with 6:06 remaining in the third quarter when he collided with the Pistons’ Jaden Ivey while pursuing a rebound.

“That’s tough,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game. “I feel so bad for Chris. I know he’s had a couple of hand surgeries before, I believe, maybe on the other hand. I saw him holding it and instantly was worried. Just got the word after walking off the floor. So, I feel terrible for Chris, and obviously, guys will step up and be ready to play. We’ve got to hold down the fort without him.”

Chris Paul is no stranger to injuries, particularly to his hands. He’s had five injuries to his left hand and six to his right, according to ESPN. He’s also had four hand or wrist surgeries, including his left wrist after the 2021 NBA Finals.

“I just feel bad for him,” teammate Stephen Curry said. “I know he’s been through some hand stuff in his career. We are trying to find a groove as a team … and he’s been such a huge part of that.”

In 31 games prior to Friday, Paul was averaging 9.0 points, 7.3 assists and 27.7 minutes per game in his first season with Golden State.

A 12-time All-Star, Chris Paul was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 draft by the New Orleans Hornets.

Over his 19 seasons with the Hornets (2005-11), Los Angeles Clippers (2011-17), Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), Phoenix Suns (2020-23) and Warriors, Paul has averaged 17.7 points, 9.4 assists and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 47.1 percent from the field.

Steph carries the Warriors past Pistons

Stephen Curry brushed aside a poor long-range shooting night to bury two key 3-pointers in the final 1:05 Friday night and the Golden State Warriors held off a determined effort by the visiting Detroit Pistons for a 113-109 victory in San Francisco.

Attempting to rebound from blowing an 18-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 130-127 home loss to the Denver Nuggets the night before, the Warriors led 95-84 following a Dario Saric 3-pointer with 7:13 remaining before the Pistons rallied.

With Cade Cunningham producing 11 of his game-high 30 points, the Pistons used a 19-7 burst to go up 103-102 on a Bojan Bogdanovic 3-pointer with 1:41 to go.

But then Curry took over. After giving Golden State the lead for good on a pair of free throws with 1:32 remaining, the NBA all-time 3-point king, having missed eight of his first 10 attempts from beyond the arc, nailed 28-footers 19 seconds apart, the latter giving the hosts a 110-103 cushion with just 46.1 seconds left.

Curry later capped a team-high 26-point night with one free throw and Brandin Podziemski added a pair, assuring Golden State just a second win in five consecutive home games.

Klay Thompson backed Curry with 19 points, going 3-for-9 on 3-pointers. The Warriors shot 16-for-38 on threes, outscoring the Pistons, who went 13-for-44, by a difference-making nine points.

Saric chipped in with 17 points, while Jonathan Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis and Podziemski added 11 apiece for the Warriors, who completed a two-game, season-series sweep of the Pistons.

Jackson-Davis, who made all five of his shots, also found time for a team-high nine rebounds, while fellow rookie reserve Podziemski had a game-high-tying five assists.

Cunningham’s 30 points came despite 1-for-7 shooting on 3-pointers. He made 12 of his 15 shots from inside the arc.

Jalen Duran compiled a 13-point, game-high 12-rebound double-double for the Pistons, who lost their third straight after last Saturday’s win over Toronto that snapped a 28-game skid.

Kevin Knox II had 18 points, Alec Burks 13, and Bogdanovic and Jaden Ivey 12 apiece for Detroit, while Killian Hayes chipped in with a game-high-tying five assists and two steals on a scoreless night.

Making his first San Francisco appearance since being traded to Detroit last February, James Wiseman contributed four points, three rebounds and two blocks to the Pistons’ cause in 15 minutes off the bench.

–Field Level Media

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