On Thursday, the Los Angeles Clippers will wrap up their two-game set with the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder, and they will be without All-Star forward Paul George.
Update Injury status Paul George for Thursday’s game
Oklahoma City Thunder won their eighth straight game on Tuesday, 101-100 over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Los Angeles’ home record dropped to 19-17 after another defeat. They currently hold the fifth spot in the Western Conference, one game ahead of the Golden State Warriors.
The Clippers had a good chance to pull off the upset after Paul George went down with 4:38 left. The momentum changed, and now George’s participation in this match is in question because of a knee injury.
George was helped off the court in the fourth quarter after he apparently hurt his leg colliding with the knee of guard Luguentz Dort.
Head coach Ty Lue claims that he was unable to meet with George following the game because George was being evaluated and treated. Since George was carted out of the Crypto.com Arena with his right leg extended, the Clippers have remained silent on the matter.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, George’s sprained right knee was confirmed by an MRI, and he will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks.
As a result of his injury, George will most likely miss the rest of the season. He might be able to come back for the playoffs if the Clippers, who are currently fifth in the Western Conference, can keep up their current performance.
Eric Gordon, Terance Mann, and Nicolas Batum may be asked to step up now that Norman Powell (shoulder) is also sidelined.
Kawhi Leonard’s offensive role and minutes will likely continue to grow as Paul George’s (knee) absence looks set to last a while.
Over the next week, and possibly longer depending on George’s prognosis, Leonard’s consumption will undoubtedly skyrocket.
The Thunder are 14-21 on the road, but have won three of their last four games away from Oklahoma City. The Thunder are a half game behind the Warriors for the best record in the West, which places them in seventh place.
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Active
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points (12-25 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 6-7 FT) and added 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 36 minutes as the Thunder defeated the Clippers 101-100 on Tuesday.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored the final 10 points of the game, helping the Thunder come out on top. The star point guard is back to his extremely high level of play, as evidenced by his 33.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 52.2% shooting over his last four games (after missing only one game due to injury).
Clippers injuries:
- Paul George (Knee) – Out
- Brandon Boston Jr. (Lower Body) – Out
- Norman Powell (Shoulder) – Out
Thunder injuries:
- Kenrich Williams (Wrist) – Out for the season
- Chet Holmgren (Foot) – Out for the season
