Chris Paul injury could further dampen Christmas Day games

9:44 AMIt’s one thing for the young, inexperienced Los Angeles Lakers (11-18) to beat the league-leading Houston Rockets (25-5) on Wednesday, breaking the team’s 14-game winning streak in the process, on the Rockets’ home court. It’s another to do it behind 38 points from once unheralded rookie Kyle Kuzma even while MVP favorite James Harden poured in 51 points on 15-for-27 shooting.

But the 122-116 loss to the Lakers stung just a little more for the Rockets – and the entire basketball community – when All-Star guard Chris Paul left early in the fourth quarter with what coach Mike D’Antoni is calling a strained left adductor. The groin injury isn’t connected to the bruised knee that kept Paul out for 14 straight games at the beginning of the season, but that same type of strain has sidelined Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker since Dec. 5 with an expected return date of the end of the month.

Paul will sit out the team’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. One has to imagine the Rockets won’t rush to bring him back this early in the season, which means he could miss Monday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder as well.

If that were to happen, at least four big-tickets stars could be missing or hobbling for the NBA’s upcoming Christmas Day slate of five games. Not only could Paul be absent in what is expected to be a high-octane matchup with the Thunder’s Big Three of Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, but two-time MVP Stephen Curry is out (ankle) for the Golden State Warriors’ Finals rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel “The Process” Embiid (back) will likely sit out the team’s home-and-home series with the Toronto Raptors the rest of this week and return for Monday’s game against the New York Knicks – whose center, Kristaps Porzingis (knee), hasn’t played since Dec. 14 – but who knows how much playing 49 minutes against the Thunder on Dec. 15 will affect Embiid’s output and minutes on Monday?

And while Boston Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum is a ways away from being on anyone’s Top 5 list, his stomach-churning dislocated pinkie finger has him “probable or questionable” for Thursday’s game against the Knicks, which will likely dictate if or how much he plays on Monday against the rival Washington Wizards.

Jayson Tatum's finger is not supposed to point that way 😷 pic.twitter.com/TNekITQyFU

— SB Nation (@SBNation) December 21, 2017

Monday’s lineup will still be a star fest – LeBron James, Kevin Durant, John Wall, Westbrook, Harden and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Big Three are all slated to play – but the Grinch may have stolen a little Christmas joy these past few days with the rash of injuries to marquee names.