Chris Paul unlikely to play in critical Game 7 against Warriors - report
If the Houston Rockets want to protect home court and advance to their first NBA Finals since 1995, they will likely have to do it without Chris Paul.
Paul hurt his hamstring in the closing seconds of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, missed Game 6 and is “less likely than likely” to play in Game 7, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
On the chances of a Chris Paul comeback with right hamstring injury for Game 7, source tells ESPN: "Less likely than likely, but working every angle to try."
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 27, 2018
It looked like the Rockets wouldn’t need Paul to advance to the Finals based on the first half of Game 6. Houston surged to a 17-point first-half lead and still led by 10 at halftime.
But the record-breaking offense of the Warriors showed up in the second half as they outscored the Rockets 64-25 to win Game 6 by 29 points.
Harden: "Damn, we lost by 29 points!"
Chris Paul: "Nah, YALL lost by 29 points. I'm injured." pic.twitter.com/eJMfV54hZX
— BLACK ADAM SCHEFTER (@B1ackSchefter) May 27, 2018
Paul’s absence was definitely felt with the lack of ball movement by Houston’s offense. The Rockets had just 26 assist opportunities in the game, which was their fewest in the postseason this year. Paul is averaging 12 assist opportunities per game in this series.
The Rockets are working around the clock with hopes of having Paul ready for Game 7, but even they aren’t sure if the 96 hours in between Games 5 and 7 will be enough for him to play.
After Game 6, coach Mike D’Antoni was asked about Paul coming back for Game 7 and he bluntly said, “I have no idea.”
“Obviously we want to have him,” Rockets forward P.J. Tucker said. “He’s one of the best point guards in the league, but if he doesn’t play, we’ll figure it out. We’re going to do what we’ve got to do to win this game. The five guys on the floor and whoever else is playing, we’re going to roll. It’s what we do. It’s what we’re built for.”
If it’s any solace for Houston, Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala is also expected to miss Game 7; he has a bone bruise.
The Rockets have played five games in Houston vs. the Warriors this season. They split two regular season contests, and Houston has won two of three in this series.
The numbers heavily favor the home team in a Game 7 as in NBA postseason history home teams have won exactly 80 percent of seventh games.
While the statistics in Game 7 favor the Rockets, history actually favors the Warriors to prevail. Defending champions are a perfect seven for seven when facing a Game 7 in the Conference Finals.
The Warriors have been here before, defending champions facing Game 7 in the conference finals.
In fact, so have 7 other teams since 1984… And Game 7 went very well for all of them. pic.twitter.com/QHtXlx86s6
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 27, 2018
For what it’s worth, during the regular season Paul strained his other hamstring and wound up returning to action seven days later. Seven days after this hamstring injury would be May 31, which happens to be when Game 1 of the NBA Finals will start.
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