The Los Angeles Clippers NBA title hopes took a big hit on Tuesday night after their star forward Paul George suffered a knee injury. George was hurt in the fourth quarter of a 101-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and needed to be carted off the court.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, George is set to miss the rest of the NBA’s regular season. He will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks, after which the Clippers will determine his status for the playoffs.
George’s injury couldn’t come at a worse moment for the Clippers. The team went through some initial hiccups after adding several players around the NBA trade deadline, including Russell Westbrook and Eric Gordon, but have since found their stride. Before the OKC loss, the LA team won five out of their six games.
The most important thing for the Clippers will now be to survive George’s absence and remain out of the Play-In part of the standings. They are sitting at No.5 in the West at the moment, being 1.5 games clear from the Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks, two teams looking to make a run for the Top 6 and the automatic playoff spot.
Paul George already missed time this season but produced on a high level when healthy. He is averaging 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game in 2022-23.
