Suns star Chris Paul out 6-8 weeks after suffering thumb fracture

Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul suffered a right thumb avulsion fracture and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks, the team announced prior to Sunday's All-Star Game in Cleveland.

Paul was seen during All-Star weekend wearing a soft cast on his hand. He suffered the injury during Wednesday's game against the Houston Rockets when he hit his hand on the Rockets' Jae'Sean Tate after passing the ball. He then earned two quick technical fouls for arguing with officials and was ejected from the game.

Paul was scheduled to have an MRI on Thursday morning, league sources told Yahoo Sports. The results of that MRI were not publicly known until Sunday.

Paul and Suns coach Monty Williams, who is the head coach of Team LeBron for the All-Star Game, had not spoken about the severity of the injury in Cleveland.

Paul was introduced Sunday night as a reserve on Team LeBron shortly after the extent of his thumb fracture was reported. He entered the All-Star Game in the first quarter, reportedly in a quest to get one assist, then left after missing a layup and picking up a foul.

How does Chris Paul's injury affect Suns' playoff push?

The Suns are in first place in the Western Conference at 48-10, 6.5 games ahead of the second-place Golden State Warriors. The Suns are at +475 odds to win the 2021-22 NBA championship, per BetMGM.

The season ends April 10. The current timeline would rule him out until the end of the regular season, but he could return for a postseason run.

Paul has not missed a game yet this season after leading the Suns to an NBA Finals run last season. He is averaging 14.9 points, 10.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.