NEW ORLEANS — If facing the Nuggets wasn’t tough enough, injuries are starting to be a major concern for New Orleans.
Add star point guard Chris Paul to a growing list of the Hornets’ walking wounded. Paul sustained an injury to his right knee in a collision with Nuggets guard J.R. Smith in the second half of Game 3 on Saturday. He is not officially listed in the team’s injury report, but practiced little Sunday and had his knee wrapped for the team’s shootaround here Monday morning.
“I’ll be ok,” said Paul before the shootaround. “I’m good to go.”
He’s so good to go, in fact, that there have been discussions on whether he will play every minute of the game tonight. Paul is averaging 39.7 minutes per game in this series, so he’d be adding roughly eight more minutes per game.
“Me and coach talked about that,” Paul said. “Whatever it takes to win, that’s what you gotta do.”
Hornets coach Byron Scott said he expects Paul’s knee to feel better as the game progresses.
“To be honest, once he warms up and the game starts and the adrenaline is flowing, it won’t be a problem at all,” Scott said. “I think after the game is where he’ll probably start to feel it a little bit more. When you get in the heat of the moment and you start playing, I think you forget about all the aches and pains.”
Paul isn’t the only New Orleans player who is hurting. Forward James Posey sustained a right knee sprain during Game 3. He did not practice on Sunday. He underwent an MRI to determined the extent of the damage. He has been cleared to play tonight.
“Pose is going to come out there and fight just like he normally does,” Paul said.
Added Scott: “I know he’s going to be out there and give it everything he’s got. I have no idea what to expect tonight.”
The Hornets are, however, preparing for what they say is the most pivotal game of the series. The Nuggets lead, 2-1. The home team has won every game in this series.
“It’s a huge game for us,” center Tyson Chandler said. “It’s very important that we win this game. You don’t want to go down 3-1 to a team like this and going back in front of their home crowd where they feel comfortable and have more energy there.”
Chris Dempsey: 303-954-1279 or cdempsey@denverpost.com
