After five straight wins, the Houston Rockets appear to be coming out of a season-long slump and rounding into form. Some of the team’s early struggles can be traced to uneven play from future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul but, in Houston’s most recent victory, Paul also appeared to be turning the corner with 21 points and eight assists against the Wizards.
Unfortunately, however, Paul’s renaissance and, with it, the rebirth of the Rockets, may be on hold, as the 33-year-old guard appeared to suffer a hamstring injury in the first half of a road game against the Miami Heat.
Uh oh. Chris Paul leaves the game with a hamstring injury. https://t.co/FncgQwFjzG
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) December 21, 2018
Not good news. Chris Paul appears to injure his left hamstring and heads to the locker room… Rockets almost assuredly will lose him for a stretch. pic.twitter.com/TI7s0loVk0
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) December 21, 2018
Given the way Paul reacted, this could be an injury that sidelines him for a while but, in the same breath, specific information on what exactly transpired (and the timetable for his return) is not yet available. The Rockets did announce, however, that Paul would not return under the description of a strained hamstring.
As I reported on @NBAonTNT, it’s a strained left hamstring for @CP3. No word as to the severity of the injury yet, but he won’t return to this game. #MIAvsHOU
— Kristen Ledlow (@KristenLedlow) December 21, 2018
Paul was famously sidelined for the conclusion of the 2018 Western Conference Finals and, while it is up for debate as to whether the Rockets would have upended the Golden State Warriors, his absence was certainly felt. Any team would be hard-pressed to replicate Paul’s contributions if he is sidelined for a while but, for a depth-starved team like the Rockets, the final ruling on Paul’s injury will be even more crucial.
