Phoenix Suns All-Star Chris Paul returns for Thursday's game at Denver

DENVER — Chris Paul is back.

The 12-time All-Star returned to the lineup Thursday night at Denver after having not played since Feb. 16 when he fractured the right thumb on his shooting hand against the Rockets. Paul was suited up and ran onto the court with his teammates ahead of tipoff, his thumb wrapped.

He was in the Suns' starting lineup.

"It's good to have him back," Suns coach Monty Williams said before Thursday's game at Ball Arena. "He's been working diligently to get back and not just get back, but play at the level that he wants to play. I'm sure the guys are jacked up about it."

The Suns (59-14) have gone 11-4 without Paul and were a victory away from clinching the top overall seed in the playoffs heading into Thursday night's game.

Winners of six straight, Phoenix is 1-1 against Denver (43-30).

A Memphis loss would also solidify the No. 1 seed for the Suns. The Grizzlies (50-23) play Thursday against Indiana (25-48).

Averaging 14.9 points and 10.7 assists, Paul has been shooting and dribbling for weeks.

The Suns originally called for him to undergo a re-evaluation in six to eight weeks when announcing the injury right before the Feb. 20 All-Star game in Cleveland.

With that timetable, Paul looked as if he'd miss the remainder of the regular season. Phoenix closes out its 82-game schedule April 10 against Sacramento.

However, Paul didn't have surgery on the thumb and has been ahead of schedule as far as returning to action.

"I didn't put a limit on it or think that deeply about it," Williams said. "I just listened to the medical staff and I'm with Chris every day and we talk all the time. So I just watched him progress in his rehab and watched him on the floor when he was doing stuff. I'm not surprised or anything. I'm just grateful he's back."

Cam Johnson (quad) will miss his 11th straight game Thursday with a right quad contusion. The Suns are 8-2 without him during this stretch, but Johnson has been with the two team on their two-game road trip that began with a win at Minnesota..

"That's a key for us, getting to the playoffs healthy and at full strength," Suns All-Star Devin Booker said. "We've been out here with Cam and Chris being out and even when I was out, the team understands that responsibility to keep this train moving. So we don't get down on it. We don't get sad. We tell them to take their time, get back healthy, get back right and you know our main purpose in what we're trying to work towards."

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns All-Star Chris Paul returns from fractured right thumb