loading...
League Logo
NBA
League Logo
CBB
League Logo
NBA
League Logo
MLB
League Logo
NHL
All
    loading...

    Thunder vs. Clippers Thursday NBA injury report, odds: L.A. begins life without Paul George, proven model downgrades team's playoff chances by nearly 13 percent

    The Los Angeles Clippers will finish the regular season without Paul George.
    Hero Image

    The Los Angeles Clippers feared the worst when star forward Paul George was hurt in Tuesday's home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers will indeed be without George for the remainder of the regular season, but in the grand scheme of things, it could have been much worse. There's now a chance that George could return at some point during the playoffs. How will L.A. respond the rest of the way without George? The Clippers host Oklahoma City again on Thursday as 3.5-point favorites.

    George was hurt after colliding knee-to-knee with Oklahoma City's Lu Dort late in the fourth quarter of the Clippers' 101-100 loss on Tuesday. George's right knee bent backward as he landed, and he needed help to walk off the court after several minutes down on the floor. He was eventually carried to the locker room. The incident immediately brought back flashbacks from August 2014 when George suffered a gruesome broken right leg while competing in a Team USA intrasquad scrimmage.

    This time, it's only a sprained right knee. George will be re-evaluated in 2-3 weeks and surgery will not be needed. The hope is that George could be ready for the first round of the playoffs, which would start April 15 (although the Clippers may not play until the next day).

    The 32-year-old was having another terrific season, averaging 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. Late in the third quarter Tuesday, the six-time All-NBA selection threw down a highlight-reel 360 dunk. Point being: He looked as healthy as ever.

    The injury could doom the Clippers to the Western Conference play-in tournament. The team also remains without Sixth Man of the Year candidate Norman Powell (16.6 PPG), who hasn't played since March 2 due to a shoulder injury and won't be re-evaluated until next week. He might have started in George's place, but it now probably will be Terance Mann filling the role. Trade acquisition Eric Gordon off the bench could get extra minutes off the bench. Also keep in mind that fellow star Kawhi Leonard doesn't play both ends of back-to-backs. Los Angeles has two of those left.

    At 38-35, L.A. sits in fifth place in the West but is only 1.5 games ahead of No. 7 Oklahoma City. DraftKings lists the Clippers at +100 to participate in the play-in tournament. The tournament runs between April 11-14, so it might be a rush to get George back in time for it. To reach the Western Conference playoffs, which means a top-6 finish or to advance through the play-in tournament, the Clippers are -400 with No at +300.

    The SportsLine Projection Model (see below) doesn't downgrade the Clippers much for the regular season but drops their chances of making the playoffs from 77.6% to 65.1% -- that latter number equates to about -185 on the moneyline, so clearly oddsmakers have more playoff faith in the Clippers than the model does. The previous number of 77.6% equates to -355. 

    LA CLIPPERS                WINS     WIN%      PLAYOFF     CONF    CHAMP
    Healthy Paul George42.551.80%77.60%7.30%3.10%
    George Out41.951.10%65.10%6.70%2.50%
    Difference-0.6-0.70%-12.50%-0.60%-0.60%

    So which 2023 Fantasy baseball busts, breakouts, and sleepers should you target or fade in your drafts? Visit SportsLine's Fantasy baseball cheat sheets now to get rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Joey Votto's disappointing season, and find out. 

    Matt SeveranceSeverance Pays

    Share This Story