LOS ANGELES — LA Clippers star Paul George avoided tearing ligaments in his sprained right knee and is unlikely to need surgery.
While George will miss the remainder of the regular season and not be reevaluated for two to three weeks, the Clippers breathed a sigh of relief that he didn’t suffer a more serious injury when he landed awkwardly after a knee-to-knee clash with Oklahoma City’s Lu There lost in the fourth quarter on Tuesday with 101:100 against the Thunder.
“As expected, he’s a little disappointed,” said coach Ty Lue before the Clippers faced the Thunder again on Thursday night. “But I think we have the best-case scenario as far as we thought it could be. And that’s why we’re looking forward to being re-evaluated in two or three weeks.”
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George must have his knee heal before being re-evaluated. Once he feels his knee is strong enough, it will take him time to ramp up if he can return this postseason. The Clippers went into Thursday night’s game against Oklahoma City in fifth place on the Western Conference rankings. However, they were also just a game and a half away from seventh place and the play-in tournament.
Should the Clippers secure a place in the playoffs, a possible first-round return by George is considered optimistic.
“His mood is devastated,” Lue said. “But that’s to be expected when it’s late in the season and when you want to help your team. But we will support him 100%.”
Lue said the Clippers will start with guard Eric Gordon in George’s place for the remainder of the season.
And once again, the Clippers must try to win without one of their stars at the most important time of the season. Kawhi Leonard tore his right cruciate ligament in Game 4 of Round 2 against Utah in the 2021 playoffs. The Clippers still made it to the Western Conference Finals before losing to Phoenix.
Last season, when Leonard was out all year, George had to sit out the second play-in game, a loss to New Orleans, because he tested positive for COVID-19. That came after George returned from a three-month absence due to a torn ligament in his elbow.
“Oh, we’re ready,” Lue said of the Starless Clippers. “We did it last year too. He played 32 games last year so next man up mentality. I know you hear it all the time, but we’re definitely up for the challenge. And we have a lot of people in that dressing room and we look forward to the challenge.”