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DENVER — Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul exited Monday night’s Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals vs. the Denver Nuggets in the third quarter due to left groin tightness.
Paul checked out of the game with 4:32 remaining in the third quarter and immediately headed to the locker room. Just before leaving, Paul was covering Kentavious Caldwell-Pope when the Nuggets guard went up for an offensive rebound.
“He just looked like he was boxing out,” Williams said after the loss, adding that Paul couldn’t push off “at all” after suffering the injury. The Suns will learn more about its severity Tuesday.
The club made the injury announcement early in the fourth quarter, adding that Paul would not return. He finished with eight points and six assists in nearly 26 minutes of action. Phoenix ended up losing, 97-87, to fall into a 2-0 series hole.
“It’s an unfortunate event, obviously. I mean, I don’t know what it is yet. I haven’t really got to talk to him, but all we can do is hope that he has a speedy recovery,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “We’re going to be behind him. We’re going to hold it down while he’s out … or if he’s out. And, we’ll just take it from there.”
Paul, who turns 38 on Saturday, has dealt with playoff injuries multiple times throughout his surefire Hall of Fame career. He has missed eight career playoff games due to injury, most notably a hamstring strain that sidelined Paul for the last two games of the 2018 Western Conference finals, when his Houston Rockets built a 3-2 lead but lost to the eventual champion Golden State Warriors.
Paul was averaging 13.2 points and 7.7 assists per game in this postseason entering Monday. He ranks fifth on the NBA’s all-time playoff assists list and 11th in steals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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