Coming off an impressive sweep of the Denver Nuggets, the Phoenix Suns have potentially suffered a major hit to their NBA title chances as Chris Paul has reportedly entered COVID-19 protocols.
According to The Athletic, Paul is in the NBA's health and safety protocols and is out for an "indefinite time". Whether or not he'll be able to play in the Western Conference Finals is not yet known.
The Suns will have no comment on Paul's status, a team official told The Action Network's Darren Rovell.
The Suns were +400 to win the title at PointsBet before the sportsbook pulled down odds. And Paul, +850 to win Finals MVP, is a big reason why. He's been the perfect co-star to Devin Booker and his impact on Phoenix all season is unquestioned. Paul was fifth in MVP voting for the regular season.
There are no series prices yet, as the Jazz and Clippers are locked at two wins apiece in their series.
Phoenix will be hoping that series drags on to a Game 7, which is scheduled for Sunday. That would put the Western Conference Finals beginning likely on Tuesday or Wednesday the next week, which would give Paul about a week of isolation.
There are a lot of unknowns at this point. If Paul is vaccinated, the isolation time is shorter than it would be if he's unvaccinated. A positive test also changes timelines compared to a close contact.
At time of publish, the Jazz are +500 to win the NBA title with the Clippers right behind at +550. The Nets are the favorites at +185. The Bucks, trailing Brooklyn 3-2, are +700 along with the Sixers. Atlanta is the long shot at +4000.
