Tuesday 19th March 2024,
The Hoop Doctors

Los Angeles Clippers Will be Without Chris Paul for 6 to 8 Weeks

chris paul

For those Los Angeles Clippers fans who assumed the worst after Chris Paul left the team’s victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder with a left thumb injury on Monday, your fears have been confirmed.

According to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, Paul will miss the next six to eight weeks with a torn ligament in that right thumb:

As if things couldn’t get worse, the Clippers still have a bunch of games left against the Golden State Warriors:

And then there’s this from ESPN Stats & Info:

The Clippers are hopeful Blake Griffin will return this month; he has been sidelined since Dec. 18 after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his knee.

In the meantime, they’ll be forced to plow on without their two best players—a real problem.

Since the start of last season, the Clippers are being outscored by 5.8 points per 100 possessions in regular-season and playoff games when Paul and Griffin aren’t on the floor, according to NBA Wowy. And there’s reason to think things will get worse now. That sample size is littered with small stretches during single games; the Clippers could be without both of their best players for at least five, perhaps more.

Fortunately for them, the bottom half of the Western Conference is hot garbage, so their playoff hopes are safe. Their chance of coming together, healthy and able, in time to avoid another first- or second-round exit is a different story.

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