Chris Paul will start Game 7

ByArash Markazi ESPN logo
Saturday, May 3, 2014

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul will start Saturday night's Game 7 against the Golden State Warriors despite dealing with an injured right hamstring and right thumb.

"I'm cool, I'm good," Paul said. "I'm all good. I'll be there. I'll be ready. I can't wait."

Paul struggled in Thursday's Game 6 loss to the Warriors as he was dealing with the injuries as well as being in foul trouble. He was 3-for-10 from the field with nine points, eight assists, five rebounds and four turnovers.

"Yeah, he'll be good," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "He's going to be what he is. He's not going to get any healthier, but he'll fine."

Paul said he was not worried about getting into foul trouble and would look to be more assertive in Game 7.

"I probably need to be a little more aggressive offensively," Paul said. "I think I had a couple bad fouls. My first foul on [Stephen Curry] and the second one was here or there. I can't help my team from the bench."

Rivers likes the idea of Paul being more aggressive as long as the ball continues to move, which was not the case in Game 6 as several Clippers tried to win the game individually at times.

"Chris is doing a great job defensively," Rivers said. "He doesn't have a lot in the tank. I don't mind him being aggressive, but we don't want him to be aggressive where the ball stops. We want him to be aggressive and make quick decisions."

Clippers forward Hedo Turkoglu will miss his second straight game with a hairline fracture of the transverse process in his lower back, which he suffered in Game 5.

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