Clippers' Paul 'without question' expects to play vs. Rockets

A strained groin that forced him to sit out the final possession Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors shouldn't cost Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul any games.

"I'll be good," Paul said, according to Clippers.com's Rowan Kavner. "Go home, let my kids take care of me. I'll be all right."

Paul, 30, said he "without question" expects to suit up and compete Saturday night when the Clippers host James Harden and the Houston Rockets at Staples Center.

With his team on offense, trailing by four points with 13 seconds remaining on in the game, Paul had every intention of getting on the floor and taking part in such a pivotal play. Unfortunately for "The Point God," head coach Doc Rivers decided to err on the side of caution.

"The trainer told me, and Chris was trying to get on the floor, and I dragged him back," Rivers said. "You could see he was not happy."

Rivers added, "His groin was hurting, and I just wasn't going to put him back out there. I took him out, but that's another great lesson for our team. We took him out after we drew up a play, and it was the last second that Chris told me he couldn't go out, and everybody should know the play, not just the guy with the ball. We didn't know the play."

Paul finished with a near double-double of 24 points and nine assists in 30 minutes of action. The Clippers saw their four-game winning streak to begin the 2015-16 campaign ended by the defending NBA champions, 112-108.