The Los Angeles Clippers have stayed afloat all year despite missing stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard for the majority of the season.
After losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday, they now face a must-win matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Reports emerged on Friday morning that the Clippers will be without Paul George for the game, who has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocol after testing positive for COVID-19. This ruling means that George’s season will potentially be over if the Clippers lose tonight.
Clippers star Paul George has entered health and safety protocols and will miss tonight's Play-in game vs. New Orleans, sources tell @TimBontemps and me.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 15, 2022
It is a crushing diagnosis for the Clippers, who just recently got him back a couple of weeks ago from a long absence.
This news has many around the NBA world questioning just how competitive the team will be against New Orleans.
Tough blow and will lead into him missing games possibly 1 and 2 against Suns https://t.co/gVaVhxCmEi
— Eddie A Johnson (@Jumpshot8) April 15, 2022
Protocol P was his final form all along https://t.co/h2q5Y10e2u
— Kyle Lowry Apologist (@gnavas103) April 15, 2022
No way … https://t.co/Q3XPQ0qqU1
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) April 15, 2022
Wow. That’s brutal https://t.co/vB0mcDQJIA
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) April 15, 2022
Others brought up that this could bring along some issues for the Timberwolves in their playoff journey as they faced George and the Clippers Tuesday.
Something to keep an eye on with the Wolves… https://t.co/QB8E3l962z
— Paul Hodowanic (@PaulHodowanic) April 15, 2022
Uh oh. This is worth monitoring for the #Timberwolves as they get ready to face the Grizzlies tomorrow… https://t.co/AckCvcV0yu
— Jeff Wald (@JeffWaldFox9) April 15, 2022
The Timberwolves are facing the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 on Saturday, and it could be disastrous if they have any players test positive due to their close proximity to George.
George has been excellent when he has been on the court for the Clippers, averaging 24.3 points per game on the season along with 6.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists. The issue has been keeping him on the court, as he has only played in 31 games throughout the 2021-22 NBA season.
While this is certainly out of his control and could happen to anyone, it is nonetheless an extremely big blow to the Clippers, who will need some key role players to step up if they want to win and get into the playoffs.
