Paul George found open looks from mid-range to beyond the arc. Norman Powell enjoyed his best night of the season with 26 points off the bench. Kawhi Leonard had 11 points in 22 minutes in his second consecutive start after missing 12 games.
Reggie Jackson contributed 11 points, adding to the half-dozen players who scored in double figures against the San Antonio Spurs a week ago at Crypto.com Arena. For the Clippers, it would be a night to remember.
Because in a span of 11 days, the Clippers lost three of their key players – Luke Kennard, George and Leonard – with no timetable for their return. All three will miss Sunday’s game against Indiana.
The dominating victory against Spurs on Nov. 19 marked a rare occurrence this season – George and Leonard were on the court at the same time.
George has missed four games – one because of illness, followed by three because of a strained hamstring.
Leonard is out again with a sprained right ankle. He played in two of the Clippers’ first three games but then experienced stiffness in his surgically repaired right knee and was kept off the court as precaution. He has missed a total of 15 games this season.
Kennard, who is nursing a strained calf muscle, has missed the past four games.
The constant stream of ins and outs have wreaked havoc on Coach Tyronn Lue’s rotations since the season began. Between load management, minute restrictions, illness and health and safety protocols, the Clippers have used eight different starting lineups and numerous second-unit lineups.
Point guard John Wall, who has been coming off the bench, said he understands how difficult the task is for Lue every game. But having that nearly full complement of players, like they did against the Spurs, was nice – even if it lasted only a couple of games.
“With San Antonio, we all had the guys here and we kind of saw how it is,” said Wall, who had 15 assists that night. “Having those two guys, (you see) how much of decoys they are. Like the (opposing) team has to worry about them and us playing the right way.”
Yet, Wall said the team cannot wait until their stars return. The Clippers (11-9) need to adjust now before the season slips away. The team currently is eighth in the Western Conference, two games behind conference-leading Phoenix.
“We have to go out there and compete,” Wall said. “(Shoot), we are all NBA players, we all work hard. We all deserve to be in the spots we are.
“You know, sometimes it’s not good to lose your best two players, but there is always the next man up. We all put the work in. We all are veterans. We all know how to play the right way. You just go out there and execute. That’s the simplest thing you can do.”
Wall said, with nearly a quarter of the season over, the team needs to find its identity quickly.
“That’s the most important thing,” he said. “Like what do we want this team to be? Should we be a defensive team that pushes the pace, get open shots, things like that. When we all buy into that, I think it all comes so easy.”
Lue has faced this situation before, as recently as last season. Leonard missed all of last season after having ACL surgery July 14, 2021, forcing Lue to retool the offense around George. But then George suffered a torn ulnar ligament in his right elbow in December 2021 and missed three months before coming back in March.
The Clippers advanced to the NBA’s play-in playoff game, where their season ended in a loss to New Orleans.
This time, however, is different because of the uncertainty of when the injured players will return.
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“I don’t think it’s going be a long term, so that’s the tough decision you have to make,” Lue said. “Last year, we knew Kawhi was out for the whole season, and we knew PG had a chance to be out for the whole season, but he worked hard to get back and to be ready to play. So, when PG went out, then we knew we had to change our offense and change how we played, and our guys were able to adjust to that.
“Now, we’re not there yet. (But) feel pretty good about the situation right now and how guys are progressing.”
Indiana at Clippers
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: Crypto.com Arena
TV/Radio: Bally Sports SoCal/ AM 570