Report: Paul George sustained sprained right knee, Clippers to reevaluate in 2-to-3 weeks
Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George went in for an MRI Wednesday after he had to be helped off the court during the fourth quarter of a Tuesday night loss the Oklahoma City Thunder.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, medical imaging showed the forward sustained a sprained right knee and will be reevaluated in 2-to-3 weeks.
The timeline to check back in on George falls between April 5th and April 13th. The Clippers' regular season ends April 9th.
The injury occurred when the All-Star's leg collided with Thunder guard Lu Dort. George landed awkwardly while bringing down a rebound and the knee appeared to buckle.
Paul George lands awkwardly; injury; Clippers pic.twitter.com/86dhMvWbdw
— Oh no he didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) March 22, 2023
George immediately fell to the floor and his pain was evident. He was eventually helped off the court by Clippers staffers.
He exited the game with 18 points on 9-of-17 shooting with seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in 34 minutes at the time of his exit. Late in the third quarter, the six-time All-NBA player threw down a highlight-reel 360 dunk.
"Prayers for PG" trended on Twitter shortly after, as fans were reminded of George's 2014 tibia-fibula fracture. The alarming injury occurred during a U.S. national team intrasquad scrimmage where his leg buckled.
Ahead of the positive news that George had not torn or broken anything, George thanked fans for sending empathetic messages, writing "appreciate y'all' on Twitter. Sports Illustrated writer Farbod Esnaashari also reported there was no surgery recommended in George's evaluation.
🙏🏾 Appreciate y’all 🙏🏾
— Paul George (@Yg_Trece) March 22, 2023
George's injury comes during a time of improved basketball for the Clippers. Before Tuesday's 101-100 loss, the Los Angeles team had won five of six games.
In 55 games entering Tuesday, George was averaging 23.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 45.6% from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range.
The Clippers currently sit at No. 5 in the Western Conference, 1.5 games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for seventh place. In the fight to stay out of the play-in tournament, the team has a healthy Kawhi Leonard in addition to the pending return of Norman Powell.
