Getty Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul and James Harden
The Houston Rockets followed up a five-game win streak by dropping three straight games as of late. All three losses came on the road, two of which were in overtime and one in the middle against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Each loss also featured All-Star guard Chris Paul sitting out, as he’s dealt with what was originally called a leg injury.
With the Rockets now looking to right the ship Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks, it seems there’s a chance Paul may remain out once again. Unfortunately, that may not even be the biggest reason for concern at this point either.
In an update provided by Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni in which he called Paul questionable for the Mavericks game, he added an interesting piece of info. According to Mark Berman of Fox 26, D’Antoni revealed the veteran guard’s injury is apparently a hamstring issue.
Mike D’Antoni on Chris Paul: “I think he’s questionable right now, better than yesterday. We’ll see. We don’t want to rush it too much..but he’s real close. I think it’s a hamstring.”
This means Paul will miss his fifth game of the season to this point, as he was sidelined for a two-game stretch earlier in the year. The Rockets fell in both of those games, with the first coming on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers and the second to the Utah Jazz at home. On the year, the Rockets are now 0-4 when Paul is not in the lineup and 9-6 when he plays.
Latest on Chris Paul’s Injury and Timeline
There hasn’t been much provided about Paul’s status aside from D’Antoni’s recent comments. It seems he’s truly the definition of “day-to-day” moving forward. As Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle cited, the Rockets guard’s injury had previously been called a “sore left leg.” He was originally expected to sit out the game against the Cavaliers as a rest day, but that didn’t prove to be the case.
Following Wednesday’s game against the Mavericks, the Rockets have a day off before the start of a back-to-back on Friday. The team will first head on the road game to face the San Antonio Spurs to begin the two-game set and then have a home matchup with the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. After Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Rockets have two days off.
While nothing is set in stone currently, there’s reason to believe Paul’s injury isn’t overly serious, as he was questionable ahead of last game and seemingly had a chance to play. He should be able to return to the lineup in the very near future, but D’Antoni and the coaching staff could opt to play it safe with him.
Update
Per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Paul has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game along with Gerald Green.
Rockets PG Chris Paul (hamstring) and SG Gerald Green (ankle) are out against the Mavericks.
We’ll update more as any additional information is provided.
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Chris Paul Injury: Latest on Rockets Guard & Timeline for Return