Chris Paul left Game 2 in the 3rd quarter with a groin injury. He won’t come back.
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul has a sore left groin and the team says his status is considered „day-to-day” as Phoenix tries to climb out of a 2-0 hole against the Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference playoff series.
The team updated Paul on Tuesday night. Game 3 is Friday in Phoenix (10 ET, ESPN)
Injury Update: Further evaluation confirmed that Chris Paul is suffering from left hip pain. He is considered day to day.
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) May 3, 2023
Although the Suns list him as day-to-day, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski Reporting Paul’s status for Games 3 and 4 remains in doubt, while The Athletic’s Shams Sarania reports The Suns are preparing to play 3-5 games without him.
Ball — a 12-time All-Star — boxed out Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in Game 2 on Sunday when the Nuckets guard launched a layup less than 5 minutes into the third quarter. Shortly after the play, Paul walked toward the bench and headed to the locker room.
The Nuggets are atop the Western Conference and have won both of their first two games by double digits.
Ball finished Game 2 with eight points, five rebounds and six assists in 25 minutes, outscoring Denver by eight when Phoenix was on the floor. He is averaging 12.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 7.4 points and 1.7 steals on 41.8% shooting and 32.1% from 3-pointers in the playoffs.
Ball turns 38 on Saturday and has been mostly healthy in his previous two playoff runs with Phoenix. He missed Games 1 and 2 of the 2021 Western Conference Finals as he was placed under the NBA’s health and safety protocol, but was strong for the rest of the series, hitting 41 points in Game 6 that clinched the series. He appeared in every playoff game for the Suns in 2022, which ended with West losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the semifinals.
Most notable was the right hamstring strain in the 2018 West Final. Ball, who played for the Rockets, injured himself late in Game 5 against the Golden State Warriors, giving Houston a 3-2 series lead. He missed the next two games, including a 101-92 Game 7 loss at home.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.