The Phoenix Suns won’t have star point guard Chris Paul available when it tries to cut into its 2-0 deficit to the Denver Nuggets in its Western Conference semifinal series in Phoenix on Friday night.
Paul left Game 2 on Monday night with a left groin injury, and previous reports indicated he might not be available until Game 6, which wouldn’t be until May 11. The Suns made his status clear for Game 3 after Paul didn’t practice on Thursday.
“Obviously we are going to miss Chris,” Kevin Durant said after practice on Thursday. “And what he brings to the table. We just got to go out there and play our game, play together, we try not to think too much about it and try to move the ball and play together... and put yourself in a good position.”
The 12-time All-Star exited with 4:32 left in the third quarter after tangling with Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope while trying to get rebounding positioning. Paul quickly grabbed at his groin area when he came down.
Paul, in his 18th NBA season, ended the night with eight points, six assists and five rebounds in 25 minutes for the fourth-seeded Suns.
The Nuggets, the West’s top seed, won Game 1 125-107 and Game 2 97-87, both in Denver.
In Phoenix’s five-game series win over the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, Paul averaged 13.6 points, 8.2 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 steals.
He appeared in 59 games during the regular season, putting up 13.9 points, 8.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds per contest.
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