Chris Paul was taken to the locker room on Friday after suffering a shoulder injury, and a league source says it’s “too early to speculate” on when Paul might return.
After wrapping around a high DeAndre Jordan screen, Paul separated his right shoulder by colliding with Monta Ellis in the third quarter of the Clippers 119-112 win over the Mavs. (Click the link for a video of the injury.) From the L.A. Times:
Chris Paul hurried out of the Los Angeles Clippers’ locker room Friday night, his separated right shoulder in a black sling, a frown on his face, knowing that he could be out three to five weeks while recovering from the injury.
After their 119-112 win over the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center, the Clippers said that the All-Star point guard would remain with them for Saturday night’s game in San Antonio and then would be reevaluated Sunday after the team returns home.
An X-ray taken during Friday’s game revealed that Paul had suffered a separation, but Coach Doc Rivers said the team would await more details after further testing to find out “what grade” the injury is.
“We have to find out what is the injury,” Rivers said. “Is it three weeks, two weeks, five weeks? That has to do with what your decision-making is and that’s why we have to find out as soon as possible.”
Initial speculation indicates a 3-5 week recovery period, but we’ll have to wait until Paul is evaluated on Sunday before a definite timeline can be determined.
