With Game 5 and a 3-2 series lead seemingly in hand, the Phoenix Suns were handed their lone bad news of the night when All-Star guard Chris Paul went down holding his already injured shoulder following a collision with Los Angeles Lakers veteran Wesley Matthews.
Paul was trying to box out Matthews on a rebound when they collided. Paul hit the ground immediately and grabbed at the shoulder he injured in Game 1 of the series, writhing in pain.
Paul remained in the game and took his free throws but exited right after, heading straight to the locker room to have his shoulder looked at.
ICYMI: Here’s the latest from Chris Paul and Monty William’s on CP’s shoulder. pic.twitter.com/eAqxKfEWmC
— Chierstin Susel (@ChierstinSusel) June 2, 2021
The play was reviewed and Matthews was assessed a common foul for the fairly routine play. After watching the play himself, Paul let Matthews off the hook, not seeing it as a dirty one, despite the blowout.
“After I’d seen it, I came back on the court and told Wes it was a clean play,” Paul said, “just unfortunate that my neck and arm snapped like that again.”
Paul told reporters in the postgame that he would be “alright” but admitted the injury scared him. Paul said he’s reached out to other players around the league who have experienced something similar, in particular, Raptors guard Kyle Lowry.
“I’ve been talking to Kyle Lowry a lot. He had a similar injury last year. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling,” Paul told reporters. “I’ve kind of been helpless. When it happened, I didn’t know, I was just looking up.”
Suns Coach: Chris Paul’s Status ‘Up in the Air’
Getty ImagesChris Paul of the Phoenix Suns.
Paul scored just nine points in 23 minutes on Tuesday but was a team-best plus-34 in the matchup. The Suns are not jumping ahead when it comes to Paul’s status going forward.
“He went back and got some treatment. Everything is not up in the air — I don’t want to give an official update on him until I get more information, I don’t have anything right now,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “But when I talked to him when he came back out, he said he still had his strength and he seems to be OK. But we want to wait until tomorrow after he wakes up and then our medical team can make an assessment, but he told me that he felt like he had his strength and that’s a good thing.”
Monty Williams on Chris Paul's shoulder: "He said he had his strength. He seems to be OK." But Phoenix medical staff will make an assessment tomorrow. Another 48 hours of injury watch on Paul and Anthony Davis.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 2, 2021
If Paul is unable to go, the Suns are fortunate that Cameron Payne has been playing out of his mind during the series. Payne scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the Game 5 win, combining with Devin Booker to bury the Lakers early.
“We’ve talked about it. Thankfully, we haven’t had to go that route. I don’t want to make too many statements about that, but we’re confident in Cam’s ability,” Williams said. “But we’re grateful that Chris seems like he’s OK but we’re going until tomorrow to give an official update.”
Chris Paul Fought to Be on Court Earlier in Series
Paul has been dealing with the injury for almost the entirety of the series and has not looked like himself at times. He’s only scored in double-digits once, which was an 18-point performance in Game 4, helping the Suns secure the victory and avoid a 3-1 hole.
Williams was considering benching Paul for the game but the future Hall of Famer convinced his skipper to let him suit up.
“Met with coach before the game, he told me he was going to sit me,” Paul said. “I told him, ‘Hell nah, just give me a couple minutes, see what I can do.’”
Monty Williams told Chris Paul he was going to sit him in Game 4
CP3 told him "hell nah" 😂
(via @Rachel__Nichols) pic.twitter.com/jbCbjs4Rz0
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 30, 2021
The Suns hope Paul will be in the lineup as they look to win their first playoff series in more than a decade when they head to Staples Center on Thursday.
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