Chris Paul was rolling. He had come up huge for the Rockets in a pivotal fourth quarter of a must-win Game 5 against the Warriors with a trip to the Finals on the line. And then he landed awkwardly in the game’s final, high-pressure minute. He never got back on defense and subbed out on Houston’s next offensive possession.
Chris Paul leaves final minute of Game 5 with apparent hamstring injury
The Rockets still won, but this was ugly.
Paul never came back in. The athletic trainer escorted him over to the sidelines and gave him a tap on the thigh as if to say, “Everything’s gonna be fine.” CP3 didn’t want to hear it. This is his shot at getting to a championship opportunity he’s never had in his career. This was the worst possible thing at the worst possible time.
Paul suffered a hamstring injury last season with the Clippers that sidelined him for seven games. He also played through a sore left hamstring earlier this season. Game 5’s injury was his right hammy, not his left.
The Rockets went on to win, 98-94, and have a chance to close out on the road in Game 6. But the severity of Paul’s injury is unclear at the moment, and his value has tripled down the stretch of this critical Game 5. We will update this story as more information becomes available.
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