Paul George has been one of the biggest reasons why the Los Angeles Clippers have been able to stay afloat in the Western Conference without their All-Star caliber player Kawhi Leonard. Despite the LA Clippers playing without PG over the past two games of the NBA season, the team has been able to win both contests. George recently shared an update on his injury status.
Details on the injury
According to various sources, Paul George is dealing with a right elbow contusion. The Clippers star shared an update during a Twitch live stream on Friday stating he is dealing with a sprained elbow and would most likely be out for the Orlando Magic game that took place on December 11.
Paul George is not the only key player that has missed time for the LA Clippers as Kawhi Leonard is still out due to an ACL tear suffered in last season's playoff series against the Utah Jazz. Big man Serge Ibaka has also missed significant time because of a back injury from last season. The Clippers hope to have their full complement of players to help them rise in the Western Conference.
Clippers outlook
The LA Clippers are currently 15-12. This gives them a current 5th seed spot in the Western Conference. However, the team will certainly hope to get Paul George back into the lineup as they have to play the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns over the next two games.
As noted, the Clippers played both teams in last year's playoffs, so both games will be a test to see where they stand.
The team managed to defeat the Utah Jazz in last year's playoffs, but lost in the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns led by Chris Paul. Without Paul George, LA may have trouble with both teams.
Game recap
Today marked a big win for the LA Clippers as it marked their third straight win for the first time in weeks.
A couple of players made significant contributions, but none were bigger than Reggie Jackson, who nailed a clutch jumper with just two seconds left on the clock. Jackson hit a big shot for the Clippers and scored 9 points over the last few minutes of the game.
Despite the Orlando Magic sitting towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference, they made it a close game against the Clippers as Cole Anthony had 23 points and Terrence Ross added 22 points.
Cole Anthony managed to hit a game-tying three with 23 seconds left in the game before the Clippers ran out most of the clock off a Reggie Jackson score.
Reggie Jackson finished the game with 25 points. Luke Kennard also came up big, finishing the game with 23 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds. He was able to knock down 7 threes. The shooter has been a spark plug recently for the team, averaging 17.1 points over the last 6 games. When it comes to his three-point shooting, he is first in the league in three-point percentage with a mark of 45.1% with at least 150 attempts.
Clippers head coach Ty Lue wants Kennard to shoot even more triples. The marksman is in the first year of his contract extension and is making the most of it.
Aside from big contributions from Reggie Jackson and Luke Kennard, Terance Mann added 16 points in today's game.
The LA Clippers will have a short break before they play the Phoenix Suns in LA on Monday night.
