The Houston Rockets managed to win Game 5 in their Western Conference Finals series against the Golden State Warriors, which should have been a cause for celebration, as Houston took a 3-2 series lead and are one win away from the NBA Finals. The win came at a price, though, as starting point guard Chris Paul was on the bench after a late hamstring injury.
Rockets fans have been holding their collective breaths waiting for an update on Paul’s availability for Game 6, and on Friday afternoon, they got their answer. The team announced that Paul will be forced to the sidelines due to a hamstring strain.
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1000049363484336128
Paul, who reached the conference finals for the first time this year, has been outstanding all postseason long for the Rockets. Against Golden State, the eventual Hall of Fame inductee has averaged 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.8 steals in 36.7 minutes per game. While he struggled in the first half of Game 5, Paul put forth a Herculean effort prior to suffering the injury, going for 18 second half points, including an absolutely ludicrous three with Steph Curry draped all over him that led to a little shimmy.
There’s no word on Paul’s availability should the series require a Game 7, but this is still brutal news for the Rockets.
