PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – LA Clippers star Paul George has tested positive for COVID-19, ESPN sources Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps said, and will miss the game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Clippers basketball president Lawrence Frank has confirmed that George has entered the league’s health and safety protocols.
This is a serious blow for the Clippers, who again lose their star guard as they try to win number 8 for the playoffs of the Western Conference in the elimination match against Pelicans. The winner moves on to a first-round match against the Phoenix Suns.
Frank said George was not feeling well on Thursday and passed a test.
“This is another challenge for our group,” Frank said during the team shooting. “The group has been up to the challenge all year. We had boys in and out of the squad and we managed to overcome big deficits and yet this group was always responsible. Very stable group. We have great faith and a talented and deep team and I have a great coach in Tai Lu. “
Asked if other Clippers players should test and if George will be out for a while, Frank said the team follows the NBA’s example when it comes to health and safety protocols.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s just been a series of challenges, and it might be appropriate that it’s a situation where all those rehearsals and experiences the band has had were in those moments many times before this year.”
George missed 51 games earlier this season. He was out for three months with a torn collateral ligament in his right elbow. He is back for five games in the regular season, and the Clippers have won six of their last seven games with a healthy George in the squad.
This season he averaged 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He scored 34 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the 109-104 loss to Minnesota in the game for seventh place on Tuesday.
The Clippers will be without their two stars again. Kawhi Leonard remains out as he recovers a torn ACL and has not played a single minute this season. Frank said there was still no schedule for Leonard’s return.
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