LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 26: Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers reacts after a play during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on December 26, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Paul George is to miss Friday’s play-in game against the Pelicans after entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
The Los Angeles Clippers will be down their best player with the season on the line. Paul George will miss Friday’s play-in game against the New Orleans Pelicans after entering the NBA’s health and safety protocols for COVID symptoms.
With the Clipper’s season already on the line, losing George may cost the Clippers a shot at making the playoffs. In the first play-in tournament, George put up 34 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves and his absence will be critical to the Clipper’s chances of beating the Pelicans and making it into the first round of the playoffs.
The Clippers are now down Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and will have to rely on the rest of the team to pull through the final play-in game to boost the chances of making the playoffs.
Friday night’s game will determine the eighth spot in the Western Conference and who will take on the Phoneix Suns in the first round.
Paul George out: NBA fans react
Fans have taken their reactions to George’s absence to Twitter and fans have mixed reactions to George’s absence. You can read some fan’s tweets below, starting with some jokingly saying they sent someone to cough on Paul George.
Other Clipper fans share their frustration with the play-in tournament and how a COVID exposure can make or break the Clipper’s chances.
Then you have some fans, like Bill Simmons, who think the Clippers are just cursed.
And of course, there are going to be Clipper fans that went to mock Reggie Jackson and the NBA’s efforts to keep the George from playing.
Paul George’s sudden absence in the play-in game doesn’t mean that the Clipper’s chances of beating the Pelicans are shattered. The Clippers are used to having their two star players out and still managed to pull ahead six games of the Pelicans in the regular season. George has seen a significant loss in-game time this season, after missing 51 games earlier this season for a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.