Chris Paul Suffered A Right Hamstring Injury And Is ‘Worried’ Waiting On A Diagnosis


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The Houston Rockets will head to Oakland in the driver’s seat against the Golden State Warriors after a wild Game 5 victory to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Finals. While it was certainly a team effort, the heroics of Chris Paul were pivotal in the second half for the home team but, unfortunately, the future Hall of Fame point guard went down in the final seconds with a right hamstring injury.

Paul’s late-game absence did not cost Houston the victory but, as Game 6 looms, head coach Mike D’Antoni expressed that Paul is “worried” about the diagnosis on his injury.
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Official word will not arrive until Friday, though, as Paul was not available to the media after the game as a result of injury treatment.


With James Harden struggling mightily on the offensive end in Game 5, Paul’s creation ability shined through and, given the way the Rockets operate in pick-and-roll offensively, any absence from one of their lead ball-handlers could be crippling. To that end, D’Antoni indicated that the plan would be for Eric Gordon to take on some, if not all, of Paul’s creation responsibilities should the point guard be unable to play.

The Rockets need only one win to advance to the 2018 NBA Finals but, if Paul is unable to go in either of the final two contests, it figures be an uphill climb for Houston. In short, the Rockets will be holding their breath from now until the final diagnosis is levied and, if it is an unfortunate one, the balance of power could shift back to the Warriors, even with a 3-2 deficit.