Chris Paul will be out for his team's Game 1 conference semifinals matchup in Houston against the Rockets, the team announced on Monday. Paul will miss the game due to an ailing left hamstring, an injury which he first suffered Saturday night during the Clippers' eventual Game 7 win over the Spurs.
Chris Paul ruled out for Game 1 against Rockets with hamstring injury
A hamstring injury will keep the Clippers’ star point guard out of the team’s opening game in Round 2.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
After missing six minutes of game time following the initial injury, Paul returned to the game, only to further tweak the hamstring in the third quarter. However, he quickly returned to the court and played 37 minutes in total. Paul finished with 28 points and six assists and his acrobatic shot with one second remaining turned out to be the game-winner.
In the Clippers’ first round series against the Spurs, Paul averaged 22.7 points, 7.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 39.7 minutes per game. With him on the court the Clippers scored 115.1 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com.
In Paul's absence, Los Angeles will now have to turn to Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford. Rivers, in particular, could be problematic. In 19.2 minutes per game against the Spurs Rivers averaged 7.1 points, 1.7 assists and shot 43 percent from the field. His offensive rating was 99.5
Game 2 of the series will be Wednesday night.
See More:
