It’s been hinted at for days, but today the news officially broke that Clippers’ star Paul George is likely out for the entire series against the Suns. Both ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and TNT and Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported the news nearly simultaneously, confirming what the beat reporters have been indicating.

At this point, it seems like the absolute best scenario for Paul George is that he returns in Game 5 against the Suns – after the only two-day break in the series. Most likely is he doesn’t play at all, or tries to rush back for the final game or two.

Paul George has $45.6M guaranteed for next season and a $48.8M player option for the following season. The Clippers and George himself are absolutely not going to play him if he isn’t ready, not with such a huge investment in salary and overall resources. Furthermore, if the series looks hopeless, like the Clippers trailing 3-1 with the games mostly being non-competitive, it makes the slim chance of a PG return even slimmer.

The Clippers have presumably been preparing for no Paul George, and we at 213 have as well, so all of our game coverage and discussions should still be relevant. Still, this is a huge bummer. The Clippers *can* beat the Suns without any Paul George, but it will be very, very difficult without Suns injuries (and we never root for that, ever). Hopefully the Clippers can hold off for long enough for PG to return, but today’s news means that might mean the entire first round.

Paul George Likely Out For First Round Against Suns
Robert Flom

Paul George, the Clippers’ lone All Star in the 2023 season, was sidelined the last nine games of the regular season with a knee injury. His podcast, Podcast P, announced on Twitter yesterday that the episode dropping this morning would contain an injury update on Paul George.

However, while the podcast hasn’t dropped yet, Shams Charania of the Athletic may have beaten Podcast P to the punch, as he dropped this update on Paul George this morning:

This is, of course, incredibly vague. “Sidelined to begin the first round” seems fairly optimistic, actually, upon glance. After all, that opens the door for a return later in the first round. The most “logical” return has been guessed by many to be Game 3, the first Clippers’ home game of the postseason, which is at least 10 days out.

On the other hand, there is no estimated return date or timeline given, and if the Clippers or PG were confident in one, it probably would have been stated. Additionally, it what now might be some deleted video, Shams mentioned earlier in the morning that to his knowledge, Paul George has not started on scrimmaging or even contact work. If that intel is correct, and maybe it’s not given the later update, it would be difficult to expect Paul George back in the first round at all.

The vagueness is further compounded by “making tangible progress from his knee injury”. While this is all positive – progress, no setbacks, not ruled out from the first round – the vagueness in and of itself is again not super promising.

To sum up, this update on Paul George is a fairly positive one, in that he’s making progress and it seems like a return at least some point this postseason will be possible. When he might make his return is still up in the air, but we will continue to keep you posted as we receive more updates.

Paul George Injury Update: 2023 Postseason In Play
Robert Flom

As always in bubble action, we are here to provide an injury report update on the Clippers and their opponent the day before the game, in this case the Denver Nuggets.

Clippers

Montrezl Harrell: Out (Self isolating)

Patrick Beverley: Out (Calf strain)

Landry Shamet: Out (Ankle sprain)

The Clippers remain far from complete, as two of their key players and another rotation player (I think Shamet has lost the “key” designation at this point) will sit out against the Nuggets. Trez, of course, is healthy, but is waiting until he’s cleared to play. All being well, he should pass the COVID-19 quarantine before Friday’s game against the Thunder, giving him a single regular season game to get back into some semblance of rhythm before the playoffs begin. Shamet’s injury isn’t particularly worrying either – he didn’t seem damaged after the game, and there probably would have been reports if the injury was more serious.

At this point, the bigger question is Beverley. The initial thought was that he would be kept out for a game or two to give him time to relax and recover, but he’s now been out over a week and has missed some crucial game time. He’s the most important of those three guys, and the Clippers need him right in the playoffs. Hopefully it’s all still precautionary, and he too can rejoin the Clippers in that Thunder game before the playoffs begin.

Nuggets

Will Barton: Out (Knee soreness)

Jerami Grant: Questionable (Knee soreness)

Gary Harris: Out (Hip strain)

Vlatko Cancar Out (Broken Foot)

The Nuggets have been dealing with plenty injuries of their own. Jamal Murray made a triumphant return in their win against the Jazz, but looked hobbled and out of gas by the end of that contest. He might have a minutes limit in this one, though he broke it very quickly in that Jazz game. However, the Nuggets are missing two starters, Will Barton and Gary Harris, and those are also two of their best (though still not very good) options on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Barton is a do-everything kind of guy for them, an energetic scorer who can play some defense, and his absence has been tough on the Nugs. Harris’ scoring and shooting has fallen off a cliff this year, but he’s still a solid defender who offers some tertiary ballhandling and playmaking.

Additionally, Jerami Grant, who’s probably their actual best option on Kawhi Leonard due to his size and strength, is questionable. If he’s out as well, there’s really nobody on their roster who can even come close to guarding Kawhi or PG. For all that the Clippers might not have the chemistry or cohesion they’d like going into the playoffs, the Nuggets will be in similar straits, which is good news for the Clippers considering the Nuggets are either the 3rd or 4th best team in the conference.

Well, that should cover the injury report for this Clippers-Nuggets game. Stay tuned for further updates closer to tip-off, though all the Clippers’ injured guys seem definitively out. This should be a fun game between two likely playoff opponents, and will be a good opportunity to see where each team stands.

Clippers-Nuggets Injury Report: Pat, Trez, and Shamet Are Out
Robert Flom

Just as soon as a player returns, another goes down. While Lou Williams returned for the Clippers today, Pat Beverley is questionable to return for the Clippers with an injury designated as calf soreness after playing just eight minutes in the first quarter. He has not returned since, and doesn’t appear to be warming up, so he will probably miss the rest of this one.

However, he didn’t warm up at halftime, and doesn’t appear closing to checking in, so it’s safe to say he will be out for the rest of the game. Fortunately, “calf soreness” seems very mild, and the fact that he’s even questionable to return means that the injury is probably not serious.

Hopefully that’s the case, because Pat Beverley is an absolutely crucial piece to this Clippers roster. They have had a singularly poor record in games without Beverley over the past couple years, and it’s because his defense, shooting, and energy is irreplaceable. He’s a leader on this team, and is respected by everyone on the squad, from the superstars to the rookies. Any absence by him will cost the Clippers dearly.

Pat Beverley might be questionable with an injury, but the Clippers are still playing, so go over and check out the game on NBA TV or Fox Sports Prime Ticket if you haven’t already!

Pat Beverley Questionable to Return Against Suns with Calf Injury
Robert Flom

The Clippers return to action tomorrow against the Phoenix Suns, who are 2-0 in the NBA bubble thus far. Before diving into the preview and matchups, here’s the injury report on the Clippers and Suns.

Clippers

Lou Williams – Questionable (Quarantine)

Montrezl Harrell – Out (Out of bubble)

The big change here is Lou Williams moving from “out” to “questionable”. He should be officially out of quarantine, and is ready to start working out with the team again. However, even if he’s technically cleared to play, it’s quite possible Doc Rivers and the Clippers want him to get more practice and conditioning reps before thrusting him back into NBA action. Lou’s presence has been sorely missed, as the Clippers’ bench has been mostly unable to create shots on their own, and watching him handle the ball and score will be a very welcome sight.

Montrezl Harrell remains out following the passing of his grandmother last week. Doc Rivers and the Clippers have emphasized that he is going to be given plenty of time to grieve, and that there’s no time limit on his return. Even when he does make his way back towards the bubble, he will then have to quarantine again. In short, don’t expect Trez back any time super soon.

Suns

Kelly Oubre – Out (Right knee)

Aron Baynes – Questionable (Quarantine & COVID-19 recovery)

Jalen Lecque – Questionable (Quarantine)

The Suns are dealing with some major injury issues of their own. Kelly Oubre, one of their starters and their third-leading scorer (just a hair behind DeAndre Ayton), remains out while recovering from a knee surgery. Meanwhile, Baynes, a crucial reserve, and Lecque, an occasional backup, are recovering from COVID-19 and progressing through practice with the team before they return. They should be physically cleared to go, but whether Monty Williams deems them ready is another story.

Well, that’s about it for this Clippers and Suns injury report. Stay tuned for further updates, and get excited for the Clippers’ 3rd bubble game.

Clippers-Suns Injury Report: Lou Will Back?
Robert Flom

The Clippers released an injury report today more than 24 hours ahead of the first seeding game against the Lakers (as did the Lakers, of course). There aren’t really any surprises on there, but let’s just run through the injury report quickly for both teams really quickly and see where things stand.

Clippers

Patrick Beverley – Questionable (Not with team, self isolating)

Montrezl Harrell – Out (Not with team)

Lou Williams – Out (Not with team, self isolating)

This report it entirely expected. Lou Williams is, of course, in quarantine after his infamous wings incident in Atlanta. He will miss the Lakers game as well as the Pelicans game on Saturday, but should return after that. Montrezl Harrell is still attending a family issue, which means he’s not even in Orlando right now, much less cleared to play. His return to the bubble is unclear, though it should happen at some point before the playoffs. And Pat Beverley joined the team a couple days ago, meaning he should be cleared from quarantine by tomorrow, but might just not be in condition to play.

It’s also interesting whose names are not on the list. Ivica Zubac, who joined the team last weekend and played a handful of minutes in their last scrimmage game, was not on the injury report. Nor, surprisingly, was Landry Shamet, who didn’t play in any of the scrimmage games, and returned to practice only a couple days ago. Both of those guys were very likely to play (Zu nearly a lock), but it’s still a good sign that they weren’t even questionable in the Clippers’ eyes.

Lakers

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Probable (Right rib contusion)

LeBron James – Probable (Sore right groin)

Kyle Kuzma – Probable (Right ankle Sprain)

Anthony Davis – Questionable (Sore right eye)

Avery Bradley – Out (Not with team)

Rajon Rondo – Out (Thumb surgery)

All three of the “probable” players on here should be good to go. Nothing has been reported about even the possibility of those guys missing games, and LeBron in particular has probably been revving up for this one for a while. Anthony Davis, meanwhile, might be “questionable”, but he’s already stated that he plans to play. The coaching staff or trainers could hold him back if they deem it necessary, but he probably wouldn’t have said anything if he thought there was a decent likelihood he wouldn’t play.

Rondo had surgery on his thumb a couple weeks back, and is projected to be out for 6-8 weeks, which puts his return sometime in mid September. He’s not very good, so hopefully he returns in time for a Clippers-Lakers Western Conference Finals showdown (fingers crossed we get it). Bradley isn’t very good either, but he’s better than Rondo, and unlike Rondo, isn’t coming to the bubble at all, instead remaining at home with his family.

That about wraps it up for the Clippers and Lakers injury report for this first seeding game of the Orlando basketball. Real Clippers basketball is almost back! Be sure to check out Thomas’ excellent preview for the game, our Q&A with Silver Screen and Roll editor Harrison Faigen, and the newest episode of The Lob The Jam The Pod with Athletic contributor Dave DuFour.

Clippers-Lakers Injury Report Roundup
Robert Flom