Chris Paul, who has arguably been the Warriors’ second best player this year, left Tuesday night’s game with lower left leg soreness and won’t return.
Paul, 38, played just five minutes in the pivotal In-Season Tournament game. He was shown limping toward the trainer’s room on the TNT broadcast early in the second quarter. Paul’s status for return was initially announced as to be determined, but got downgraded to out shortly after the second half began.
The point guard registered three points and two steals in his five minutes of action Tuesday. The Warriors, in need of a 12-point victory to secure a spot in the In-Season Tournament knockout round, led 72 to 55 at halftime.
This season, Paul’s floor general style has been a marked departure from Jordan Poole, the guard whom he replaced. In 18 games, Paul has 131 assists and 20 turnovers, an elite ratio for a team that has been mistake prone in the past.
Paul is averaging 9.3 points and 7.7 assists in 28.1 minutes per game in his first season as a Warrior. It’s unclear how severe his lower left leg soreness is, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the Warriors played it cautiously with the veteran.