Chris Paul's injury update: How serious is his injury and who can replace him in the Phoenix Suns lineup against the LA Lakers in Game 6?
Veteran Chris Paul re-aggravated his shoulder injury during the 3rd quarter of Game 5 between the Phoenix Suns and LA Lakers on Tuesday. The Suns beat the Lakers (who are missing Anthony Davis) 115-85 to take a 3-2 lead in the series.
The Suns were leading by 33 points when Wesley Mathews came in contact with Paul as the former tried to make space for himself to be able to rebound on a missed three-point attempt from LeBron James. Paul did return to shoot a pair of free throws and converted both before leaving the floor.
Chris Paul had initially injured his shoulder in Game 1 of the series. He found it difficult to get going until Game 3 but seemed comfortable in Game 4 and scored a team-high 18 points to go with nine assists, leading the Phoenix Suns to a 100-93 win.
How serious is Chris Paul's injury?
Chris Paul returned to the sidelines after visiting the locker room to get his shoulder checked. He was in his warm-up gear and seemed in good spirits but had a wrap on his shoulder.
Suns head coach Monty Williams informed fans after the game that Chris Paul still has his strength, but is waiting to see how he feels when he wakes up tomorrow (as reported by FanSided's Gerald Bourguet). So one can expect CP3 to be ready for Game 6 on Thursday, but it remains to be seen if he will be at a 100%. Suns fans will be hoping that CP3 will be on minute restriction like he was in Games 2 and 3.
Who will provide cover for Chris Paul in case he isn't 100% for the Phoenix Suns in Game 6?
The Phoenix Suns struggled to operate on the offensive end, with Chris Paul not at 100% in Games 2 and 3. In his absence, head coach Monty Williams turned to Cameron Payne. Payne has had a terrific post-season so far. He has averaged 13.6 points (third-highest on the team), 47.8% on field goal shooting, including 45.6% on shooting from the deep.
Payne was in terrific touch in Game 5 as well, scoring 16 points in 16 minutes, on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. He won't have the same impact playmaking-wise as Chris Paul for the Phoenix Suns, but his ability to score big has been impeccable and is expected to be that way for the rest of the series.