Is Chris Paul playing tonight vs Knicks? Phoenix Suns injury report

The Phoenix Suns have emerged as one of the top-performing teams in the NBA this season and the franchise finds itself at second place in the Western Conference standings. On the back of their performances, the Suns clinched their first playoff berth since 2010, and much of it has been down to star man Chris Paul. The NBA veteran has had an MVP calibre season and has delivered in crunch moments for the franchise time and again this season. Here's a look at the Chris Paul injury update and the Chris Paul return date. 

Is Chris Paul playing tonight? When is Chris Paul coming back? 

Chris Paul has been instrumental in Phoenix Suns' rise this season and the 36-year-old has launched himself into MVP contention with his performances this term. Paul has been clutch throughout the campaign and was dishing out assists at will in their win over Los Angeles Clippers last week. The 36-year-old has maintained his shape this season and has been available for the Suns for the majority of the campaign, with Monty Williams effectively managing his game time. Paul will again be in contention for the game against the New York Knicks on Friday at the Talking Stick Resort Arena.

The former Houston Rockets star has averaged 16.2 points per game, with 4.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists this season, ranking him fourth on the chart for assists per game this season. The Suns were completely blown away by the Atlanta Hawks last time out, slumping to a 135-103 defeat at the State Farm Arena. Paul had a game to forget but will be looking to bounce back against the Knicks on Friday night. The Suns had registered a 118-110 win over the Knicks at the Madison Square Garden last month, ending their nine-game winning streak, with Paul scoring 20 points to go with his five rebounds and six assists.  So the answer to the 'Is Chris Paul playing tonight?' query is yes.

While the Chris Paul injury update is positive, the Suns do have their fair share of injury concerns heading into the business end of the season. Jae Crowder has been ruled out, while Cameron Johnson has been listed as day-to-day. The Suns have won seven of their last 10 games and are only one game behind leaders Utah Jazz as the final of the NBA regular season approaches. With just six games left for the end, Chris Paul & co. will hope to capture the top seed back and make a deep postseason run. 

(Image Courtesy: nba.com)