Suns' Chris Paul 'Trying to' Play Game 6 vs. Nuggets Despite Groin Injury

As the Phoenix Suns are on the brink of elimination from the playoffs, point guard Chris Paul is hoping to return to the court soon.

Paul, who is recovering from a groin injury, told reporters after Tuesday's Game 5 that he's "trying to" make it back for Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets.

After suffering the injury in Game 2 of Phoenix's second-round series against Denver, Paul has been forced to sit out the past three games, and the series now sits at 3-2 after Denver's 118-102 win in Game 5 at home on Tuesday. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported on May 8 that "the window" for Paul to "potentially" return was Game 6.

Paul's production has left much to be desired during the playoffs. Through seven games, he averaged 12.4 points and 7.4 assists while shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three-point range.

However, Paul hasn't needed to be the dominant player he was in his prime thanks to the star duo of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. The two of them have carried the Suns on their shoulders throughout the postseason, with Booker averaging 35.9 points and Durant averaging 29.6. Booker, in particular, has been on an absolute tear recently and is shooting 67.7 percent from the field in his last three games.

When Paul is out of the lineup, Booker has taken over more of the ball-handling duties and increased his role as a distributor while maintaining his scoring prowess. Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet have also seen increased minutes, and they will continue to be called upon if Paul is forced to miss more time.