Chris Paul could return from his surgically repaired thumb injury as soon as Thursday.

Paul tore a ligament in his left thumb on Jan. 16 and underwent surgery two days later. Paul was initially expected to miss six to eight weeks.

"He looked great. He went through the whole practice [on Tuesday]. You know, so it was good. Really good," Doc Rivers said before practice on Wednesday. "He could play tomorrow. I mean, I can't tell you if he will or not, but he's been cleared medically. But we just want to make sure that he's comfortable playing."

Paul has missed 13 games so far as a result of the thumb injury. He also missed seven games earlier in the season due to a strained left hamstring.