Chris Paul's debut with the Houston Rockets didn't go as well as he would've liked from a personal standpoint, but the team did get the desired result.
The elite point guard was benched with about five minutes left in Tuesday's season opener against the Golden State Warriors because he was experiencing knee pain.
"Dragging his leg a little bit; I had to get him out of there," head coach Mike D'Antoni explained afterward, as quoted by ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
The bench boss compared the soreness from the bruised left knee to Paul playing "on one leg."
Paul, who was limited by the injury during preseason, helped his new club shave a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to five before his night ended. He watched - and cheered - as teammates held down the fort and completed the comeback, squeaking out a 122-121 victory at Oracle Arena.
"I'm a hell of a cheerleader," said Paul, who joined the Rockets this offseason via a sign-and-trade from the Los Angeles Clippers.
"It's fun, man, because you know what guys are capable of. That's one of the biggest things I was looking forward to this year, being able to watch somebody as talented as James (Harden). James, he's special, man. I catch myself sometimes. I have to get used to it. He's unreal.
"I just wish I could have helped him out more. I've been saying it all along. We're going to be fine. It's all about wins and losses for us and we won tonight."
Paul finished with 11 dimes, eight rebounds, four points, two steals, and a block in 33 minutes.
Houston returns to action Wednesday when it visits the Sacramento Kings, and Paul isn't sure if he'll be ready for the quick turnaround.
"I don't know," he said. "We'll figure it out."