The Rockets entered Thursday night’s action having apparently turned a corner, riding a five-game winning streak and getting back into the playoff picture in the Western Conference. However, the team suffered a pair of losses last night — in addition to falling to the Heat, the Rockets also lost All-Star point guard Chris Paul to a strained left hamstring.
Paul will reportedly undergo an MRI this morning to determine the severity of the injury, but the diagnosis was confirmed after the game by head coach Mike D’Antoni, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press tweets. According to D’Antoni, CP3 will be sidelined for “some time” due to his hamstring issue.
As Reynolds notes in his full story on Paul’s injury, the injury is bad news for the Rockets, who have struggled without the veteran point guard since he arrived in Houston in 2017. The Rockets are 0-5 this season in games without Paul. That figure doesn’t include Thursday’s game, which Houston led by eight points when CP3 went down.
Last season, the club was 15-9 in games Paul didn’t play — that’s not bad, but it certainly pales in comparison to the 50-8 record the team posted when he was healthy. Of course, the Rockets also lost the last two games in the Western Conference Finals to the Warriors when Paul was on the shelf with a hamstring strain.
“It’s definitely tough because he’s a big-time play-maker and ball handler for us,” Rockets guard Eric Gordon said, per Reynolds. “In this offense you need all of the play-making that you can have and usually me, Chris, and James [Harden] have the ball in our hands trying to play-make for other people and provide good scoring.”
As Gordon notes, he and Harden figure to take on some added responsibility with Paul out of action. Michael Carter-Williams, who hasn’t been a regular part of the rotation since October, may also get another look, and Brandon Knight‘s ability to contribute could be put to the test as well.
Chris Paul will go down as the worst contract in sports history. When out of shape meets Father Time the decline is fast and steep.
I can think of quite a few that were worse than this one. Definitely not a good one, but not near the worst.
My guys Jacoby Ellsbury and Albert Haynesworth said “hold my beer”
You have a short memory or just not enough knowledge.
Chris Paul got hurt. I am beyond surprised.
Brandon Knight! Here’s your chance!
The good thing here is that he’s getting this out of the way early this year. Usually he goes down at the worst time, like in the playoffs or March. As the good teams do, I would hold him out a month-and-a-half to make sure he’s right and then be ready and solid for the playoff run.
He usually starts the year strong and goes a few months before getting hurt. Maybe that can work this year if they hold him out, then he can come back early February and be strong for three months and do a playoff run.
Fingers crossed for Rockets fans and Chris Paul fans.
The season is still young. CP3 will still go down at the worst time. That’s what he does.
Nice retort. But Dantoni is probably trying to break that trend with this “some time” injury period. Good excuse to sign Rivers too, who can also wing a little later on. Gordon does about as well starting as not. And Knight coming on.
I sense an Austin Rivers signing coming shortly.
40 million a year to a guy over 32 never made sense to me. Even giving lebron 40 million a year would give me pause.
Did he flop too aggressively??
Austin rivers is written all over this, make it happen, then trade for a wing like Tj warren and yall good