Chris Paul Shoulder Injury 'Seems' OK After Game 5 Exit, Suns' Monty Williams Says

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams said point guard Chris Paul "seems to be OK" after leaving Tuesday's Game 5 win over the Los Angeles Lakers with a shoulder injury.

"He said he had his strength," Williams told reporters, adding the Suns' medical staff will make a further assessment Wednesday.

Paul tallied nine points, six assists and four rebounds in 23 minutes as Phoenix secured a 115-85 blowout victory to take a 3-2 series lead over the defending champions.

The 11-time All-Star was injured midway through the third quarter and went to the locker room for evaluation. He later returned to the bench, but with the Suns in total command after outscoring L.A. 32-10 in the second quarter, there was no reason to risk further injury.

Paul, who suffered an injury to the same shoulder in Game 1, said Tuesday's setback was a "very uncomfortable feeling":

The Suns could face a difficult decision between the conductor of their offense trying to play in Game 6 or getting him three full days of rest ahead of a possible Game 7.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles faces similar uncertainty with Anthony Davis, who missed Game 5 because of a groin injury.

It could allow Phoenix to play the matchup game if Wednesday's review of Paul's shoulder doesn't show anything significant. If Davis plays in the Lakers' elimination game, so does Paul. If the Lakers star sits, so does CP3.

The L.A. offense looked totally out of sync without Davis as Phoenix held players not named LeBron James to 30.8 percent shooting (20 of 65) from the floor. James made nine of his 19 shots.

Ultimately, the Suns are going to need Paul healthy if they're going to make a deep playoff run, so it would be a major advantage if they can complete the Lakers series without him. The Wake Forest product is a ferocious competitor, however, so he'll likely push to play.

Game 6 is set for Thursday in Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT.