Suns HC on Chris Paul's Groin Injury: 'Grateful That It Wasn't Worse Than We Thought'

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams told reporters that the team is "grateful" point guard Chris Paul's groin injury isn't worse than the team thought and that he's "optimistic" he'll return at some point during the team's Western Conference semifinals series against the Denver Nuggets.

Duane Rankin of azcentral provided the quotes from Williams, who spoke with reporters Wednesday during the team's practice.

"Grateful he didn't tear it or something like that where he's done for the season," Williams said. "You always have to look at the bright side of tough situations and tough breaks. We're just grateful that it wasn't worse than we thought."

Paul left his team's 97-87 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals with the groin ailment. Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic provided an update Tuesday.

Williams said that Paul didn't do anything Wednesday but noted that he's "optimistic" due to his belief in the team's medical staff and Paul fighting to get back on the court.

Paul sitting could mean more time for Cameron Payne or Damion Lee, both of whom struggled in Game 2 with just two combined points on 1-of-12 shooting in 42 total minutes.

Both players fared far better than that in the regular season. Payne averaged 10.3 points on 41.5 percent shooting (36.8 percent from three-point range) and 4.5 assists in 20.2 minutes. Lee averaged 8.2 points per game and shot a career-best 44.5 percent from three.

Still, losing Paul for any amount of time is a tough prospect for the Suns. CP3 posted 13.9 points and a team-high 8.9 assists this season, his 18th in the league.

This unfortunately isn't the first time Paul suffered an injury that forced him off the court during an important playoff series either.

A hamstring ailment sidelined him for the final two games of the Houston Rockets' seven-game Western Conference Finals defeat in 2018 to the Golden State Warriors.

Game 3 will go down Friday from Phoenix's Footprint Center at 10 p.m. ET. Denver holds a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.