The Houston Rockets will have to close out the defending champion Golden State Warriors without the help of Chris Paul. The team announced today that Paul will miss Game 6 at Oracle Arena on Saturday night due to a hamstring strain.
CP3 has not been ruled out for the potential Game 7 that would take place on Monday night if the Warriors avoid elimination in Game 6. However, there is a growing belief that he'll be sidelined for more than just one game. Marc Stein notes, "the pessimism emanating from Houston about Paul’s ability to bounce back for a potential Game 7 is unmistakable."
The official statement reads, "The Houston Rockets announced today that guard Chris Paul will miss Saturday's game at Golden State with a right hamstring strain that occurred during the fourth quarter of last night's game against the Warriors. He will be re-evaluated after the team returns to Houston."
In Houston's 98-94 Game 5 victory, Paul finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals before exiting the game in the final minute due to the hamstring injury. Through five games in the Western Conference Finals, Paul's first time ever, he's averaging 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals per night.
Game 6 is scheduled to tipoff at 9:00pm ET on Saturday night.