Tonight, the Clippers and the Pelicans will play their place in the Playoffs in a game that smells like Game 7. And unfortunately for the former, they will have to do without… Paul George, who enters the COVID protocol at the worst of times. Bad luck for Los Angeles, a godsend for New Orleans.
If you thought that COVID was going to leave us alone during these 2022 Playoffs, we regret to announce that this is not the case. This is Adrian Wojnarowski fromESPN who dropped the bomb at the start of the evening: tested positive, Paul George has just entered the NBA health protocol and will therefore not be able to participate in the play-in tournament meeting once morest the Pels tonight. So there, tile level, it’s heavy. You’ve got a knockout game to play, a win means playoffs and a season-ending loss, and you’ve got your best player to forfeit on the day. If Clippers fans are used to curses, it still hurts a lot. And inevitably, it is a real opportunity that presents itself in front of the team of Willie Green, the latter finding themselves suddenly in a position not far from ideal for a qualification in the Playoffs. The Pelicans have the momentum following their victory over the Spurs, they come back from nowhere following a completely shattered start to the season, and will face a Los Angeles team deprived of their franchise player when the latter had returned to form (34 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists once morest Wolves in the play-in) following his long absence. It seems like the planets are aligning in favor of the Bayou team.
But be careful all the same,there is a team that can surpass itself to fill the absence of a guy of the caliber of Paul George, it is that of Los Angeles. The Clippers have gone 50 games without a PG this year (and without Kawhi Leonard of course) and that doesn’t mean they’ve collapsed. On the contrary, we are talking regarding a close-knit, solid group, perfectly guided by Tyronn Lue and which has great resources. Clearly, we are not immune to a Reggie Jackson Game which brings LA to victory by releasing goat jumps at the end of the match. You will also have to rely on Norman Powell, performing since his arrival at the Clippers and who should take the place of holder of Paulo. We will also monitor the availability of Luke Kennard, package once morest Wolves this week but potentially back tonight. The Pelicans are in any case warned, it will be anything but easy to win in Los Angeles even without Paul George. And if ever it is the Clippers who snatch the qualification, we will have new proof of this resilience which has characterized the Californian team since the start of the season. On the other hand, with such a scenario, there is a good chance that PG will also miss the start of the first round series of Playoffs once morest the Suns…
Paul George absent for the play-in tournament match tonight, the news is terrible for Los Angeles. Will the Pelicans succeed in taking advantage of it? That remains to be seen, but it’s been a long time since the NOLA franchise has been this close to qualifying for the Playoffs.
Source texte : The Athletic / ESPN
Clippers star Paul George has entered health and safety protocols and will miss tonight’s Play-in game vs. New Orleans, sources tell @TimBontemps and me.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 15, 2022
