Chris Paul suffers shoulder injury, returns to action in Phoenix Suns win over Los Angeles Lakers

Phoenix Suns Arena suddenly got quiet Sunday afternoon and for good reason.

Chris Paul went down with a right shoulder contusion with 9:19 left in the first half when colliding with Cam Johnson after trying to defend LeBron James’ putback basket.

Paul went up to contest the tip-in and as he was falling backward, he collided into Johnson, who was trailing on the play. 

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Down for a few minutes, Paul eventually got up and walked off the court to a standing ovation as Suns pulled out a 99-90 Game 1 win over the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers before a sellout crowd of 11,824 fans at Phoenix Suns Arena

© Ross D. Franklin, AP An injured Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul grimaces in pain during the first half of Game 1 of their NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday, May 23, 2021, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin).

Finishing game with just seven points and eight assists in 36 minutes, Paul said he heard  “a crack” when suffering the injury. He returned from the locker room to the court and checked back into the game with 5:42 left in the half.

The 16-year veteran point guard didn’t seem to be himself as he winced after a turnover.

Paul has had a history of injuries in the playoffs as he pulled a hamstring in Game 5 of the 2019 Western Conference finals while with Houston. The Rockets were up 3-2, but eventually lost to series to Golden State as Paul missed Game 6 and Game 7.

However, Paul has only missed two games in each of his last two seasons at Oklahoma City last season and with Phoenix this season. He sat one game with a sore hamstring against Cleveland in February and rested the final game of this season at San Antonio.  

Suns lead 53-45 at the half. Paul started the second half. 

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Chris Paul says he heard “a crack” on shoulder injury in Phoenix Suns Game 1 win over Los Angeles Lakers