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As the Los Angeles Clippers prepare to take on the New Orleans Pelicans, they have listed Kawhi Leonard, Patrick Beverley and Landry Shamet as out.
Leonard will be resting because of load management, which is no surprise as he normally doesn’t play back-to-back games. Beverley is sitting because of a sore left calf. Shamet will be sidelined as he is suffering from an ankle injury. Paul George is probable to make his season debut.
Leonard will be missing his third game of the season. The first two games that he missed for load management were nationally televised games against the Utah Jazz and the Milwaukee Bucks. Leonard is averaging 26.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.1 steals per game.
Beverley has been dealing with a sore calf over the last couple of weeks. He missed the game against the Mavericks during preseason as a precaution. During the first week of the regular season, the calf issue flared up again.
Landry Shamet suffered a Grade 2 high sprain in his left ankle against the Toronto Raptors Monday night. Shamet was injured when backpedaling on defense with Fred VanVleet dribbling toward the basket when VanVleet’s foot appeared to contact Shamet’s left foot. The Clippers’ guard fell to the floor and cringed in pain.
George Making His Debut
The six-time All-Star has been sidelined for the Clippers’ first 11 games while recovering from two offseason shoulder surgeries. In George’s final season in Oklahoma City, he recorded career highs of 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game, all while playing nearly 37 minutes per game.
It is unknown when Leonard and George will take the court in a game together. The Clippers will likely limit George’s minutes somewhere around 20-25 minutes once he returns. With no back-to-backs over the next two weeks, they’ll have the chance to slowly bring him back up to speed alongside Leonard.
Clippers vs. Pelicans Matchup
The Pelicans are also lacking key players due to injury. Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Darius Miller, Zion Williamson will not play. Because of the absences on both teams, this could be a big game for rookie Terance Mann. He’s only played rotation minutes once this season, which was during the loss in Utah without Leonard.
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