Is Chris Paul playing tonight against the Nuggets? Latest injury update on Suns' star ahead of matchup (11th May 2023)
Chris Paul sustained a left groin strain injury in Game 2 when he landed awkwardly after trying to secure a rebound and was seen hobbling on the court before being escorted to the team's locker room. Since then, Paul has missed three straight games of the semi-finals round with his Phoenix Suns trailing behind the Denver Nuggets' 3-2 lead.
In a pivotal Game 6 matchup back at the Suns' home-court, Chris Paul has been ruled out for the game as he continutes to recover from a serious injury.
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant have more than stepped up to the challenge in the absence of their floor general as they were able to protect home-court in games 3 and 4 after combining for 158 points.
With the absence of Chris Paul, the Suns were able to play at a much faster pace and even got a quality outing from Landry Shamet in Game 4. Coming off the bench, he dropped 19 points on 6-9 shooting, including 5-8 from three-point range.
However, the Suns' winning formula was put on hold in Game 5 as the Nuggets showcased their edge with their depth as they had five players in double-digit outings compared to the Suns only having three players in the same category.
The game was close after the first half, but when the Nuggets went on a 14-2 run midway into the third quarter, they never looked back from that point on as they continued to execute and build on their run.
Can Booker and Durant shine again in Chris Paul's absence to extend the series to a Game 7?
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant are both considered to be two of the most elite talents when it comes to shotmaking in the NBA. Their scoring prowess combined was enough to even the odds at 2-2 after 0-2 start to the second-round series.
But now down 2-3 to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, do both players have enough in the tank, especially with an inconsistent bench, to pull off another win to extend the series in 7?
With what fans have seen from the dynamic duo throughout this year's postseason, it is highly possible as good defense can only do so much against two elite offensive players. As Chris Paul remains out, both players will have to showcase All-Time performances for the Suns to have any chance in tying the series at 3-3.
In this second-round series, Devin Booker is averaging 34.6 points on 60.0% shooting, including 57.1% from three-point range, along with 7.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds.
Meanwhile for Kevin Durant, he is averaging 30.8 points on 45.8% shooting along with 10.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists in this Semifinals round.