Phoenix Suns’ Chris Paul ‘sore’ after shoulder injury vs. Lakers in Game 1

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams was not able to provide many answers to the questions everyone had Monday following the team’s 99-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1.

Point guard Chris Paul sustained what the team called a right shoulder contusion that is being reported as a stinger, per AZCentral’s Kent Somers.

The injury occurred in the early second quarter on an awkward play where Paul fell to the ground in visible pain. He stayed on the floor for a few minutes before walking to the locker room with a towel over his head.

Paul returned later in the quarter and played through it, clearly unable to use his right arm in the ways he normally would for passing, dribbling and shooting the basketball.

“He seems to be progressing in a good way,” Williams said Monday. “He’s obviously sore but that’s all we have to report at this time.”

The Suns watched film and had a walkthrough on Monday.

“He was out there dribbling just now, going through his normal progressions so we feel like he’s in a good place even though he’s sore,” Williams said.

The head coach provided some background on the decisions made in the moment for Paul to continue playing, a tough thing that Williams notes because of Paul’s willingness to play through a lot.

“If one of our medical members thought that we were putting him in a bad situation, they would tell me. He would have never been allowed to play,” Williams said. “When he went to the back, they put him through a number of tests and they realized that he couldn’t hurt himself more by playing.”

Paul had seven points and eight assists in 36 minutes. He only missed one game this season due to injury and sat out the last game of the season for rest.

The Suns’ injury report for Game 2 did not have Paul listed, a good sign for his status.

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