National Basketball Association

Suns' Chris Paul, DeAndre Ayton out for Game 6 vs. Nuggets with injuries

Updated May. 11, 2023 4:09 p.m. ET

The Phoenix Suns will reportedly be without center Deandre Ayton, along with star point guard Chris Paul, as they face possible elimination in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets.

Paul will miss his fourth straight game, as he continues to recover from a groin injury sustained in Game 2, while Ayton will sit out with an apparent rib injury suffered after he collided with Denver's Bruce Brown during the first quarter of Game 5.

Paul walked toward the bench and went to the locker room with just under five minutes left in the third quarter of Game 2 after he went up for an offensive rebound while boxing out Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

"He couldn’t push off of it or anything," coach Monty Williams explained after that game. "We’re not quite sure what it is right now, but it seems to be something in the groin area."

"[Paul] is doing more for sure," Williams added Wednesday. There has been no concrete report on if, or when, Paul will be able to return.

Ayton collided with Nuggets wing Brown early in Game 5, but he stayed in the game, finishing with 14.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

The Nuggets hold a 3-2 advantage over the Suns, with Game 6 set for Thursday in Phoenix (10 p.m. ET).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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