NBA
NBA: LA Clippers star Paul George ruled out with elbow injury
The Los Angeles Clippers' Paul George will be reassessed in three to four weeks after being ruled out by a troublesome elbow problem.
Another disaster for the Los Angeles Clippers, who will be without Paul George for around four weeks. A ligament sprain in his right elbow, an injury more common in baseball than basketball, has sidelined the player after a period in which he sought to deal with the problem without having to stop completely. That's exactly what he will have to do now, though, because the pain offers no let-up. The Clippers’ aim is for the elbow injury to clear up by giving George time to rest, rather than resorting to more aggressive treatments.
George struggling with elbow injury since Portland game
George suffered the injury on 6 December, in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers. He sat out two weeks, missing five games, before returning for two matches and being forced to stop. The 31-year-old managed 25 points against the San Antonio Spurs, then had a bad night against the Sacramento Kings four days ago (17 points, 6/18 on shooting), following which he has had to concede defeat to his troublesome elbow.
George will be re-evaluated in three to four weeks and is ruled out at a crucial time for the Clippers, who have Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson in the league’s covid-19 protocols and have been without Kawhi Leonard all season, after he suffered a knee-ligament injury in last term’s playoffs. Leonard could miss the whole campaign; in the best-case scenario, he won’t be back until shortly before the postseason.
Clippers remain well placed to make NBA playoffs
The Clippers are 17-15 and, despite all their problems, sit fifth in a very weak Eastern Conference. That’s what’s giving them hope in the race for the playoffs, in spite of this latest, tremendous blow. Tryonn Lue knows how to get the team to compete in any circumstances and the East offers very little in the way of resistance. With 10 postseason places up for grabs - if you include the NBA’s play-in tournament - the situation is certainly not dramatic for a team that’ll consider every victory priceless in a period where their two major stars will be missing.