The status of Los Angeles Clippers star point guard is up in the air as the Clippers prepare for the second round of the NBA playoffs after toppling the San Antonio Spurs in an incredible Game 7 on Saturday.
Chris Paul's availability for Game 1 against the Houston Rockets on Monday will be a game-time decision due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the first quarter of the win over San Antonio, according to ESPN's Arash Markazi.
Markazi described Paul walking "gingerly" at shootaround. Head Coach Doc Rivers told the media that he would go through shootaround, though he was instead seated at the scorer's table.
The Point God was officially listed as questionable for the opener. Rivers stressed, following the game, that he was concerned about Paul's injury moving forward.
Related: Emotional CP3: 'It's hard to believe this was the first round. But we're not done now'
"Yeah, yeah, very," Rivers said. "Someone is going to have to step up. I was thinking it's funny how coaches think that with three minutes left, I'm thinking, 'OK, if we win this game, thank God I signed Lester (Hudson) because now you have two guards left.' We almost went big, and then we would literally have no other guards left. That was the first thing I thought.
"Chris may play or may not play the first game, but the game is Monday. My guess right now if I had to guess, I would say no, but I'm not sure."
Despite Rivers' coy comments, the expectation within the organization is that Paul will play in Game 1 after appearing in all 89 Clippers games this season, reports Markazi. An MRI on Paul's hamstring came back negative, Markazi noted.
Paul returned to the lineup in the second quarter, but was noticeably slowed by the injury, grabbing at his left hamstring throughout the remainder of the game. Still, that didn't stop him from leading the Clippers to victory, including hitting the miraculous go-ahead shot in the game's final seconds.
"Yeah, I'm going to get with our training staff," Paul said after the game. "I know my grandmother back in North Carolina is praying right now. She's praying, and she'll let my mom pray over it and all that, too, and it will be all right."
Paul finished the night with 27 points and six assists. His status for Game 1 will be monitored closely prior to Monday's tip.
