David Chao, MD
2 min read • May 10, 2023
Posted in
The Phoenix Suns lost to the Denver Nuggets 118-102 on Tuesday night, and Suns guard Chris Paul missed his third consecutive game. The win for Denver gave them a 3-2, which means they are one win away from closing out the second-round series.
But, The Athletic reported when the groin strain originally happened that Paul was expected to miss Games 3-5.
Now that we are coming up on Game 6, there’s an expectation that Paul would suit up, especially since it's a close-out game.
According to the Pro Football Docs, “Groin strains are tough to play through for point guards, and Paul turning 38 last week doesn’t help.” Paul was given a 41 SIC score, which means he’s unlikely to be effective if he does play.
May 2, 2015: left hamstring strain, missed first 2 games of Western Conference Semifinals
April 25, 2016: broken right hand, missed last 2 games of Western Conference 1st round
May 24, 2018: right hamstring, missed last two games of Western Conference Finals
May 23, 2021: right shoulder, didn’t miss time
June 19, 2021: COVID-19 protocols, missed first two games of Western Conference Finals
May 1, 2023: Left groin adductor strain, missed three games in Western Conference Semifinals
The home teams haven’t lost in this series, and Game 6 will be hosted in Phoenix.
The Suns are now 2-1 without Paul in the playoffs, and the team’s faster pace has helped them. Without Paul bringing the ball up slowly and getting the Suns into an offensive set, Devin Booker has averaged 37 points per game.
Booker’s hot shooting has been aided by the Nuggets’ defense leaning to whatever side of the court Kevin Durant is playing on.
Durant has averaged 33.6 points per game since Paul suffered a groin injury.
But the Suns have missed Paul’s ability to run the pick-and-roll with Deandre Ayton, who’s struggled without a true point guard passing him the ball. Paul gave Ayton a ton of easy buckets, but the new Suns’ run-and-gun offense makes it tough for Ayton to score in the flow of the offense.
The Suns are favored by 3.5 points at home in Game 6, and the over/under is 226.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Phoenix is +295 to win the series, while the Nuggets are -370.
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Written by David Chao, MD
