Clippers PG Chris Paul (hamstring) to sit out Game 1 vs. Rockets
Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul will not play in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Monday night against the Houston Rockets due to a left hamstring injury, Clippers coach Doc Rivers announced Monday.
An MRI on Paul's hamstring came back negative on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Paul was injured late in the first quarter in Saturday's 111-109 victory in Game 7 of the first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, but he still played 37 minutes and scored 27 points, including the game-winning shot with one second remaining.
"I know he had an MRI and that all came out pretty well," Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said. "You have to be careful. If there's any risk, he won't play, I can tell you that right now. I just don't know yet."
Paul played in all 82 regular season games in 2014-15 for the first time in his career.
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"I said it before, our training staff is amazing, the amount of people that we have day in and day out trying to make sure that we're ready to play," Paul said after the game. "We're really about to see what they're made of now since we've got a day and a half, I think, to get ready for Houston."
Houston has not played since last Tuesday after ousting the Dallas Mavericks in five games of their first-round playoff series. Los Angeles and Houston split their four regular season match-ups.
The series begins on Monday night at 9:30 ET in Houston.
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