Chris Paul Could Have Issues Between Days And Weeks, Says Ex-Lakers’Trainer

While Chris Paul was clearly favoring his right shoulder, Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams said it was his choice to keep his All-Star point guard on the bench for most of the second half of Tuesday night’s 109-102 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Chris Paul suffered his right shoulder injury in the second quarter of the Suns Game 1 win. However, he wasn’t on the injury report Tuesday but played with his shoulder wrapped. He only played 23 minutes, including seven minutes in the second half. Paul finished the second half with just one point and two assists.
“I took him out, that was all me,” Williams said. “Just looking at him holding his arm the way he was holding it, I just couldn’t watch him run like that, trying to make plays. He battled. He’s a warrior, we all know that. I just made a decision to take him out.”
Former Lakers trainer Marco Nunez broke down’s Paul’s injury after the game.
“A shoulder contusion is bruising to the area of the shoulder. The big question is if Chris Paul sustained a contusion to a muscle structure or the bone,” said Nunez.
“The muscle can linger for several days, and the athlete will experience discomfort when that muscle is utilized. If to the bone (most likely the humerus bone), the discomfort can linger on for several weeks and be more uncomfortable than a contusion to the muscle.”
The Lakers and Suns will play game three on Thursday in Los Angeles at 10 pm EST on TNT.
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