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| Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul (C) pumps his fist after the Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors during Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Tuesday at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. Photo by John G. Mabanglo/Shutterstock |
By Alex Butler, UPI
Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul will not play in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals.
The Rockets announced the decision on Friday afternoon. Paul suffered a right hamstring strain in the fourth quarter of the Rockets' Game 5 win Thursday in Houston. The nine-time All-Star will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Houston.
Houston holds a 3-2 lead in the series. If the Warriors win Game 6, the Rockets would host Game 7 at 9 p.m. on Monday at the Toyota Center.
"Business as usual," Rockets star James Harden said. "Guys got to step up and make plays. Obviously, Chris [Paul] has been playing extremely well. Hopefully, he'll have a speedy recovery, which I know will happen. There have been opportunities all year long for guys to step up and take advantage of an unbelievable opportunity."
Paul is averaging 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in the series against the Warriors. He had 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals in Thursday's triumph.
"Well, obviously, it's not something that we wanted," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters Monday. "I hate it for him, above all. He's practically won us the last two games. But it's a great opportunity for other guys, and we have plenty to choose from. We'll be ready."
D'Antoni said he didn't know if Paul would play if the Warriors force a Game 7. Eric Gordon will start for Paul in Game 6. Gordon is averaging 18.2 points, three rebounds and 1.6 assists in 33.8 minutes per game during the series.
"It's definitely tough. Big-time playmaker," Gordon said. "It's definitely tough to recover that, but we're going to be ready to play. We're going to play with full force and great sense of urgency on both sides of the ball."
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