The Los Angeles Clippers lost a nailbiter Tuesday to the surging Oklahoma City Thunder, 101-100 — a gut-wrenching defeat for a team trying to solidify its playoff position. But it wasn’t the only bad news for Los Angeles.
With four minutes left, Clippers star Paul George suffered an apparently serious leg injury. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, he will be “re-evaluated in two-to-three weeks” due to a sprained right knee. It’s unclear how many games George will miss.
Wrote The Athletic’s Law Murray: “Outside of his devastating compound fracture [in 2015], this may be George’s most concerning in-game injury.”
The Clippers are 1.5 games out of the Play-In Tournament and 2.5 games from falling to 11th and missing the postseason.
Missing the playoffs would be a disaster for a team as talented as Kawhi Leonard-led Los Angeles. The Clippers have the highest-paid roster in the NBA at $199,618,760, just ahead of the Golden State Warriors.
Without George for the foreseeable future, Los Angeles could be in deep trouble. Los Angeles has a 6-11 record this season without its No. 2 star.
George averages 23.8, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists and shoots 45.6% from the field. He’s also one of the best on-ball defenders in the NBA.
Without George, the Clippers can’t contend for a title with Russell Westbrook as their second-best player.
On Fox Sports’ “The Undisputed,” Skip Bayless said, “If Paul George is gone, you’re going to have to play Russ 35-40 minutes a game because you have no other option.”
Westbrook is OK in spurts but not dependable for extended minutes.
The Clippers have one of the deeper — if not the deepest — rosters in the NBA. In George’s absence, Terance Mann, Norman Powell and Eric Gordon must step up. Los Angeles’ postseason chances may depend on them.
