Phoenix Suns star point guard Chris Paul has been ruled out for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the LA Clippers, the team announced on Saturday.
Paul entered the league’s health and safety protocols on Wednesday. The NBA’s rules for coronavirus-related isolation periods have evolved throughout the season in correlation with increasing vaccine numbers.
If Paul is already vaccinated against COVID-19, he could be facing a shorter absence from the Suns. ESPN’s Matt Barnes, appearing on The Jump, said Paul told him Wednesday that he has been vaccinated.
This is set to be Paul’s second trip to the conference finals, along with 2018, when he was a member of the Rockets and missed Games 6 and 7 because of a hamstring injury as Houston fell in seven games to the Golden State Warriors.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was also ruled out of Game 1 as he continues to deal with a knee injury.