The Los Angeles Clippers may be without All-Star Paul George to start the postseason.
The team said on Wednesday that George has a sprained right knee and he will be reevaluated in two to three weeks.
The Clippers began the day in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 38-35 record. They end the regular season on April 9 at Phoenix, a team they could meet in the first round of the playoffs, which begin six days later.
George got hurt after going down hard late in a 101-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night. His knee made contact with the Thunder’s Luguentz Dort, who was going for a rebound with 4:38 remaining.
George needed help to leave the court, appearing unable to put any weight on his right leg, and once inside the tunnel he was carried to the locker room. He later left the arena on a cart with his right leg extended.
“Appreciate y’all,” George tweeted on Wednesday.
Losing George for any length of time would be a major blow to the Clippers. He is averaging 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists for a team that has championship aspirations.
Asked how the Clippers would adjust without George, Kawhi Leonard said: “Next man up. We’ve got a group of guys that still want to win and like to play basketball, so we’ll see what happens.”
Leonard missed all of last season while recovering from a partial ACL tear in his right knee. Without him, the Clippers went 42-40 and lost in the play-in tournament.
He has been mostly healthy this season, although the team regularly gives him games off to rest as part of his load management.
The Clippers already are without reserve Norman Powell, whose shoulder injury could keep him out at least until next week.
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