Clippers' Paul George out weeks after suffering brutal knee injury against Thunder: report
George's knee visibly buckled while trying to grab a rebound
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George’s knee injury on Tuesday night was not good to look at on replay, and fans knew based on the video and the forward’s reaction a bad injury occurred.
The Clippers learned George’s MRI results on Wednesday, and according to ESPN, he sustained a sprained right knee and will be reevaluated by the team in two-to-three weeks.
George’s injury occurred when he appeared to collide with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort in the fourth quarter of the Clippers’ 101-100 loss. As George landed after grabbing a rebound, video replay clearly showed his knee buckle, and he was in immediate pain.
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Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers suffers an apparent knee injury during a basketball game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on March 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
His Clippers teammates looks on as George was writhing in pain on the hardwood. Yet, the timeline for George, if he is healthy following the two-to-three weeks, will have him back on the court with those teammates between April 5 and April 13.
Los Angeles’ last regular season game is April 9 against the Phoenix Suns prior to the playoffs beginning. The Clippers are currently the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, which would earn them a chance to vie for the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the end of the year.
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The Clippers would obviously like George to return on time, as he is the team’s leading scorer this season with 23.8 points averaged per game. Kawhi Leonard is right there with him at 23.7.
George does have extensive injury history over his 13 years in the NBA, which includes a knee injury earlier this season. And this injury, though hard to look at live, isn’t the worst that’s happened to him.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers lies on the floor after injuring his right knee on a foul by Luguentz Dort of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on March 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
He suffered a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula while playing in an intrasquad scrimmage with USA Basketball in 2014 after landing awkwardly against the base of a basketball hoop.
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George has fought through other ailments since then to get back into the game and has earned himself six All-Star bids including this year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}George thanked everyone that gave him positive reinforcement after the injury occurred on social media, saying "Appreciate y’all" with praying hand emojis. With nothing torn or broken, George will stick to his rehab and hope to return for a playoff run.
Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers looks on during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 19, 2023 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. (Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
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In the meantime, the Clippers will lean on players like Leonard, Russell Westbrook and others to pick up the production left out in George’s absence.