By Rafael Bandayrel
After taking a 3-2 lead over defending champion Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets fans came out of game five of the Western Conference Finals anxiously, after superstar point guard Chris Paul exited with a hamstring injury in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter.
Paul reached for his hamstring after missing a runner in with 51.7 seconds left. He was slow to get up and was visibly hurt as he limped out of the court.
“His spirits aren’t great,” Head Coach Mike D’Antoni said per ESPN. “He wanted to be out there, and for sure he’s worried.”
“He’ll be evaluated tomorrow, but obviously you saw him limp off, and he’s a tough guy,” D’Antoni told Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated. “They’ll do whatever they can do. If he’s there [for game six], great, good for him. If he isn’t, we have enough guys, it’s time for somebody else to step up. We’ll be all right. We just have to continue what we’re doing.”
Heading into game five, Paul was averaging 21.2 points. 5.8 assists, and 5.9 rebounds, while shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc. He was a big part of today’s victory as he led the Rockets to a 98-94 victory by listing 20 points, seven boards, and six dimes.
Paul has been dealing with soreness in his right foot since game two but he claimed the pain went away during games three and four.
