PHOENIX SUNS
Phoenix Suns PG Chris Paul: ‘I’ll be ready’ for Game 5 vs. Lakers
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul, left, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers center Montrezl Harrell defends during the second half in Game 4 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul needed just seven words when asked about his shoulder ahead of Game 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
“I’ll be ready for the game tonight,” Paul told reporters following shootaround.
Paul, who suffered a shoulder injury in the Suns’ Game 1 victory over the Lakers, turned in his best playoff performance yet in 2021 with an 18-point, nine-assist effort in Sunday’s series-tying win over Los Angeles.
It was a welcome sight for Phoenix, who watched Paul struggle in back-to-back losses in Games 2 and 3. He averaged just 6.5 points to go along with 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds over 25.1 minutes per game.
Despite the bounce-back performance Sunday afternoon, Paul isn’t sitting back and reminiscing about the win.
“Pretty easy,” Paul said when asked how difficult it is to move on from each game. “Been playing for awhile now. These games, you play one game and it feels like a week or two ago now.”
Paul added he will take a similar approach entering Game 5 as he did for Game 4, limiting the amount of times he touches a basketball until warmups Tuesday night.
The Suns will look to regain the first-round series lead Tuesday night in Phoenix. Tune to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station at 7 p.m. for all the action.
