Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (thumb) could be in danger of missing time due to an injury he suffered on Wednesday. Paul mentioned on Saturday that he could miss time due to this issue and has a cast on his right hand. It's uncertain if Paul is going to participate in the All-Star game on Sunday. The Suns don't have too much depth right now with Cameron Payne (wrist) also banged up. Elfrid Payton hasn't brought much to the table lately, so he's not the best addition in fantasy leagues. Instead, Aaron Holiday could be someone worth adding in fantasy formats, assuming Paul misses time.

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul was the team's leading scorer against Golden State on Christmas Day, notching 21 points in 38 minutes on 7-for-14 shooting. He hit half of his four attempts from deep and all of his five free throws, finishing things off with six rebounds, eight assists and two turnovers. CP3 hasn't done a lot of scoring lately because his three-pointers haven't dropped, but he regained his shot against the Warriors and it helped him to produce a very good performance. Paul has a favorable matchup against Memphis coming up now on Monday. The Grizzlies have given up the tenth-most points and the sixth-most assists per 48 minutes to point guards this season.

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul put on a show against Damian Lillard and the Blazers on Tuesday, finishing a 111-107 overtime win with 24 points, eight rebounds, 14 assists and three steals. He shot 10-for-19 from the field and 3-for-4 at the line, sinking his lone attempt from deep. Paul logged 41 minutes and had three turnovers. He was off his game on Monday against the Clippers but managed to bounce back straight away. The 11-time All-Star posted a double-double with 20-plus points for only the third time this season. Two of the occasions have come in the last four games, which shows that Paul is carrying more scoring responsibilities without Devin Booker (hamstring) on the court. He'll head out next against the Wizards before finishing the week with a very good matchup against Charlotte.

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul recorded his 12th double-double of the season in Monday's win over San Antonio, scoring a game-high 21 points on 9-for-18 shooting and handing out 10 assists with three turnovers. His work on the defensive end included one steal and one block. Paul lost his backcourt mate Devin Booker (hamstring) recently and he enjoyed a nice chunk of extra shots here. Scoring shouldn't be a problem for him in the next matchup either, as Phoenix takes on the Celtics, who are giving up the fifth-most points in the league to opposing point guards this season.

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul had a productive night on both ends of the court Tuesday against the Warriors, finishing a 104-96 win with 15 points, 11 assists and five steals. He shot 7-for-13 from the field with a 1-for-3 record from downtown and had two turnovers in 39 minutes. The veteran floor general was forced to log heavy minutes because Devin Booker (hamstring) got injured in the second quarter. He will have a big role to play against Golden State again on Friday, but the Suns also have a game scheduled for Thursday against Detroit, so head coach Monty Williams might want to manage Paul's minutes.

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul made his team tick on Friday night against Dallas as he finished a 112-104 win with 18 points and 14 assists, shooting 7-for-14 from the field. The veteran floor general went 2-for-4 from downtown and added five rebounds and three steals to his line with five turnovers in 34 minutes. The Suns now sit on an 11-game winning streak, although Paul has almost been like a passenger during the stretch as he hasn't had many outstanding displays. Phoenix will go for a 12th consecutive win on Sunday against Denver in a matchup that should fit Paul nicely. The Nuggets are allowing point guards to shoot close to 47 percent from the field this season with 8.6 assists per 48 minutes, both marks are among the highest in the league.

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul continued his playmaking clinic in Saturday's 121-117 win over the Hawks. Paul dished out 13 assists while committing just two turnovers, in other words, just another day at the office for the Point God. The Wake Forest product only took eight shot attempts but hit on five of them to bounce back in the scoring column with 16 points while rounding out his line with six boards, one triple, one block, and one steal. Paul is aging like the finest of wines, currently on pace for a career-high in assists while swiping 2.3 steals per contest on the other end of the floor. Paul is in a great position to keep up his strong play in Monday's favorable matchup against the Kings.

Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul put on a playmaking clinic with 18 assists in Tuesday's win over New Orleans, adding 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in 36 minutes on the court. He reached 10,346 career assists, passing both Mark Jackson and Steve Nash for the third spot on the all-time list. Paul also recorded seven rebounds with one steal, one block and four turnovers. The veteran floor general has been handing out dimes left, right and center all season, averaging a career-high 11.8 assists per game. He now gets to face Houston in a revenge game before taking on Atlanta. Both are favorable matchups for Paul.

Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul tallied 23 points, 14 assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a three-pointer in Friday's win over the Lakers. Paul only played 29 minutes but was all over the place, posting his second straight double-digit assists effort while aggressively attacking the basket, knocking down all 10 of his free-throw attempts. The veteran guard continues to age gracefully in year 17. Paul will look to make it three straight games with 10-plus assists against a Portland team that surrendered an average of 24.9 of them per game last year.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have hired Phoenix Suns assistant Willie Green as their new head coach. Green, a former NBA player who turns 40 on July 28, is a first-time head coach after serving as an NBA assistant coach the past five years — first with Golden State and then with Phoenix, which lost to Milwaukee in the NBA Finals on Tuesday. He arrives in New Orleans at a time when pressure is rising to give young star Zion Williamson faith that he can find long-term satisfaction with the club that drafted him first overall two years ago. “Willie has established himself as one of the most respected assistant coaches in the NBA. In large part, this is due to a tireless work ethic and authenticity of character,” David Griffin, executive vice president of basketball operations, said Thursday. “He brings a vast amount of basketball knowledge and experience to our team as both a coach and former player, along with exceptional leadership qualities and an innate ability to connect... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have hired Phoenix Suns assistant Willie Green as their new head coach. Green, a former NBA player who turns 40 on July 28, is a first-time head coach after serving as an NBA assistant coach the past five years — first with Golden State and then with Phoenix, which lost to Milwaukee in the NBA Finals on Tuesday. He arrives in New Orleans at a time when pressure is rising to give young star Zion Williamson faith that he can find long-term satisfaction with the club that drafted him first overall two years ago. “Willie has established himself as one of the most respected assistant coaches in the NBA. In large part, this is due to a tireless work ethic and authenticity of character,” David Griffin, executive vice president of basketball operations, said Thursday. “He brings a vast amount of basketball knowledge and experience to our team as both a coach and former player, along with exceptional leadership qualities and an innate ability to connect... [More]

PHOENIX (AP) — In his 16th season, Chris Paul took a risk, deciding that a young, unproven Phoenix Suns team was worth joining in his pursuit of his first NBA championship. To the surprise of just about everyone outside the locker room, it nearly worked. Now the biggest immediate question for the Suns is this: will Paul be back to try again? “I ain’t retiring, if that’s what you’re asking,” Paul said. “That’s out. So, back to work.” The hurt was fresh for the Suns on Tuesday night after the Milwaukee Bucks won their first championship in 50 years, beating Phoenix 105-98 to win the NBA Finals in six games. The Suns won the first two games of the series, only to lose the next four. The franchise has never won a title, losing in the Finals in 1976, 1993 and 2021. But in retrospect, it was still a remarkable season for the Suns, who were one of the league's worst teams in recent years. The Suns not only made the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, they made it all the way to the NBA Finals.... [More]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans are negotiating with Suns assistant Willie Green about taking over as head coach, but no deal is in place and discussions could extend beyond the NBA Finals, a person familiar with the situation said. “He has not agreed to a deal,” the person said to The Associated Press Wednesday on condition of anonymity because talks were ongoing. “We are working through it and may wait until the Finals conclude.” Should Green ultimately take the job, he'll arrive in New Orleans at a time when pressure is rising to give young star Zion Williamson faith that he can find long-term satisfaction with the club that drafted him first overall two years ago. Green, a former NBA player who turns 40 on July 28, would become a first-time head coach after serving as an NBA assistant coach the past five years — first with Golden State and then with Phoenix, who were facing Milwaukee in Game 4 of the NBA finals on Wednesday night. Green was a member of two NBA title-winning... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Patrick Beverley was suspended one game without pay by the NBA on Saturday after shoving Chris Paul in the back in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals. The Los Angeles Clippers guard will miss the first game of the 2021-22 regular season that he is eligible to play. Kiki VanDeWeghe, the NBA's executive vice president of basketball operations, ruled that Beverley committed an unsportsmanlike act when he came up behind Paul and forcefully shoved him as the teams went to their benches for a timeout with 5:49 remaining in the fourth quarter of the game Wednesday. Beverley drew a technical foul and was ejected. Paul scored 41 points in the Suns' 130-103 victory that sent them to the NBA Finals. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers’ season began in an empty arena with cardboard cutouts, COVID-19 tests, and protocols for everything. It ended with the team reaching the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history, even without injured superstar Kawhi Leonard. A masked Leonard watched from the bench as the Clippers lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games on Wednesday night. “Man, we just had a group of guys that loved playing with each other. Everyone was on the same page,” center Ivica Zubac said Thursday. The Clippers overcame 0-2 deficits in the first two rounds to beat Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks and Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz. Leonard sprained his right knee in Game 4 against the Jazz and didn't play again. Zubac also injured his knee and was forced to sit out the final two games against the Suns. The Clippers trailed that series 0-2 and 1-3 before closing to 3-2 and eventually running out of gas. Through the injuries, Paul George kept... [More]

The seeds for this were planted nearly a year ago. The Phoenix Suns were in the middle of their eight-game unbeaten run inside the bubble at Walt Disney World last summer when someone asked coach Monty Williams if it was fun to be the feel-good story of the event. His answer was telling. “Fun? I don’t have time to have fun right now,” Williams said. “It’s always good to win, but I’m working right now. And I want guys to understand, it’s fun when you win — but then you’ve got to turn the page and get right back to work.” They apparently listened. They’re the Western Conference champions now. The scope of this turnaround is impressive. The Suns had, by far, the worst record in the NBA over a five-year span before heading to the bubble last summer. They’ve had, by far, the best record in the NBA since. And now the NBA Finals against either the Milwaukee Bucks or the Atlanta Hawks await, with Game 1 sometime next week in Phoenix. “Just a long time coming,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. Believe... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers have pulled off their share of comebacks during this year's postseason. They might have hit the wall during their marathon run. Los Angeles — playing its 17th game in 36 days — lost 84-80 to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. The Clippers have been down 2-0 in each of their series this postseason, but are staring at a 3-1 deficit for the first time with Game 5 set for Monday night in Phoenix. “We’ve been down before. It’s tough. We’ve had our backs against the wall and we’ve been in elimination games,” said Reggie Jackson, who scored 20 points. The Clippers rallied from a 16-point deficit in the third quarter to get within one, but couldn't complete the comeback. They went 0 for 12 from the floor with a chance to tie or take the lead, which is the worst shooting stretch over the past 25 postseasons, according to ESPN Stats & Information. LA got within 71-70 with 10:11 remaining on... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Paul's return to Phoenix's lineup Thursday night didn't provide the jolt the Suns hoped. Paul had 12 assists in 39 minutes, but made only five of his 19 shots from the floor and finished with 15 points in the Suns' 106-92 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. The 36-year-old point guard missed the first two games of the series after he entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols on June 16. He was upgraded to available from probable on the league’s injury report earlier Thursday after he participated in the team’s shootaround. Paul didn't say what landed him in the league's protocols. He did say the hardest part of it was being separated from family. “(Stuff) happens, and it did. I’m here now. So I’m cool,” he said. Paul didn't score his first point until he made a free throw with 8:10 remaining in the second quarter. He missed his first six shots from the field, but was still effective in distributing the ball with three... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Paul started for the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing the first two games of the Western Conference finals while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Paul was upgraded to available from probable on the league’s injury report and participated in the team’s shootaround Thursday. He scored a game-high 37 points in final game of the second-round series against the Denver Nuggets on June 13. “To have him back on the bus and shootaround was pretty cool for everybody. You know, right after that everybody got right back to business,” coach Monty Williams said before the game. "We watched film and broke down some of the things we didn’t do well and got on the floor and had a good shootaround. Williams said less than two hours before tip off that there wouldn't be a minutes restriction on Paul. The 36-year-old point guard averaged 25.5 points, 10.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the Denver series. “He’s always been... [More]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Paul was in the starting lineup for the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night in Game 3 against the Los Angeles Clippers after missing the first two games of the Western Conference finals while in the NBA’s health and safety protocols. Paul was upgraded to available from probable on the league's injury report and participated in the team's shootaround Thursday. “He’s back with us," forward Jae Crowder said. "It was great to have him on the court, walk through a few things, talk to him about some stuff that we’ve been talking about amongst one another. It was great to just have one of our guys back in the lineup and ready to go,” The 36-year-old point guard averaged 25.5 points, 10.2 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the second round against Denver. He scored a game-high 37 points in final game of the series June 13. Phoenix has been on a roll, winning nine straight postseason games, including the first two against the Clippers series. Paul — who played for the Clippers from 2011-17 — was named to the All-NBA second team earlier this week. He averaged 16.4 points during the regular season. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports