Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul has been sidelined for over a month with a hamstring injury and looked to be on track to play in the Rockets’ game against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, but now, Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni is not so sure:
Mike D’Antoni says Chris Paul will be listed as questionable for tomorrow night. No longer certain he’ll play against the Magic: “I thought I was sure yesterday but not 100% today.” #Rockets pic.twitter.com/gMaqAssdMz
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 26, 2019
Paul is officially listed as questionable for the contest.
The 33-year-old originally injured his hamstring during the Rockets’ overtime loss to the Miami Heat back on Dec. 20, exiting after just 12 minutes of action.
On the season, Paul is averaging 15.6 points, eight assists, four rebounds and 2.1 steals over 33.2 minutes per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from three-point range and 81.3 percent from the free-throw line.
While all of his percentages are well below his career averages, Paul’s impact on the Rockets is indisputable, as he provides James Harden with a safety net and gives D’Antoni another option to help get guys like Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker open looks.
Paul first arrived in Houston during the summer of 2017, coming over in a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 33-year-old played in only 58 games last season, but he took the Rockets to another level when he was on the floor, and some believe that Houston would have defeated the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals had Paul not gotten injured in Game 5 of that series. Remember: the Rockets actually had a 3-2 series lead.
Houston currently owns a record of 28-20 and is coming off of an impressive victory over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
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