Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams
said point guard Chris Paul “seems to be OK” after leaving
Tuesday’s Game 5 win over the Los Angeles Lakers with a shoulder
injury.
“He said he had his strength,”
Williams told reporters, adding the Suns’ medical staff will make a
further assessment Wednesday.
Paul tallied nine points, six assists
and four rebounds in 23 minutes as Phoenix secured a 115-85 blowout
victory to take a 3-2 series lead over the defending champions.
The 11-time All-Star was injured midway
through the third quarter and went to the locker room for evaluation.
He later returned to the bench, but with the Suns in total command
after outscoring L.A. 32-10 in the second quarter, there was no reason
to risk further injury.
Paul, who suffered an injury to the
same shoulder in Game 1, said Tuesday’s setback was a “very
uncomfortable feeling”:
The Suns could face a difficult
decision between the conductor of their offense trying to play in
Game 6 or getting him three full days of rest ahead of a possible
Game 7.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles faces similar
uncertainty with Anthony Davis, who missed Game 5 because of a groin
injury.
It could allow Phoenix to play the
matchup game if Wednesday’s review of Paul’s shoulder doesn’t show
anything significant. If Davis plays in the Lakers’ elimination game, so does Paul. If the Lakers
star sits, so does CP3.
The L.A. offense looked totally out of
sync without Davis as Phoenix held players not named LeBron James to
30.8 percent shooting (20 of 65) from the floor. James made nine of
his 19 shots.
Ultimately, the Suns are going to need
Paul healthy if they’re going to make a deep playoff run, so it would
be a major advantage if they can complete the Lakers series without
him. The Wake Forest product is a ferocious competitor, however, so
he’ll likely push to play.
Game 6 is set for Thursday in Los Angeles at
10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
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