Chris Paul Returns To Suns Lineup After 15-Game Absence
Written by Oluwaseun Oyediji
Phoenix’s All-Star guard has been out of the lineup since the All-Star break.
Chris Paul returned to the Suns’ lineup on Thursday, starting and guiding the victory over Denver.
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Suns All-Star point guard Chris Paul was back in the mix for Phoenix as they took on the Denver Nuggets. Paul was listed as probable and has been healing up from a hand injury that he suffered in a win vs. Houston on February 16 — the Suns’ last game before the All-Star break.
Paul returned to the lineup roughly five weeks after he broke his right thumb in a game against Houston just before the All-Star break. He ended up playing 29 minutes, while recording 17 points (6-10 FGs), 13 assists, a steal and a block in a 140-130 victory over the Nuggets.
Phoenix holds the NBA’s best record at 60-14 and has now clinched the NBA’s best overall record, the Western Conference No. 1 seed and also the Pacific Division title this season. It went 11-4 during Paul’s absence and has won its last seven games and nine of its last 11 overall.
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Paul was hurt when he got his hand jammed on a pass and argued for the first technical. He then bumped into referee J.T. Orr a few seconds later to earn a second technical and an ejection, leaving the court holding his right hand.
At the time of the injury, he hoped to play for Team LeBron in the All-Star Game, and played only two mostly ineffectual minutes in Cleveland.
This season, Paul is averaging 14.9 points and an NBA-leading 10.7 assists while shooting 48.7% overall and 33% on 3-pointers.
Meanwhile…
Desmond Bane scored 30 points, hitting 12 of 15 shots, and the Memphis Grizzlies built a big lead early before coasting to a 133-103 victory over the Indiana Pacers to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 20 points, going 7 of 13 from the field, as the Grizzlies shot 54%. De’Anthony Melton added 19 and John Konchar matched his career high with 18. Bane was 5 of 7 from outside the arc as Memphis made a season-high 21 3-pointers.
Before the game, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins announced that leading scorer Ja Morant would miss the next two weeks with right knee soreness. Morant sat out the previous two games after tweaking the knee in Memphis’ loss to Atlanta last Friday.
Jenkins noted that what was recently a tight rotation has expanded to include other players.
The Grizzlies were sharp again without their All-Star, just as they were in a 132-120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, and became the second team to lock up a spot in the postseason.
With Memphis leading 107-71 entering the fourth, the Grizzlies reserves finished up the game.
Lance Stephenson led the Pacers with 25 points, including making all five of his 3-pointers, while Terry Taylor had 17. Goga Bitadze finished with 14.
Source: NBA
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