The Los Angeles Clippers can breathe a sigh of relief, as superstar Paul George won’t be lost for the remainder of the 2022-23 season.
George suffered a sprained right knee and will be re-evaluated in two-to-three weeks, which could allow him to return for the postseason for Los Angeles.
This is good news for the Clippers with all things considered, and it hasn’t moved the team’s odds to win the NBA Finals this season.
Clippers’ odds to win the NBA Finals this season
The Clippers still sit at +1300 to win the NBA Finals, and they should be able to get into the postseason in the West even without George for the rest of the regular season.
Los Angeles currently holds the No. 5 seed in the West and has a 2.5 game cushion on the No. 11 seed Los Angeles Lakers. Even if the Clippers fall into the play-in tournament picture, they could make their way out with Kawhi Leonard and George’s potential return.
Clippers catch break with Paul George injury news
After seeing George go down on Tuesday night, this is probably the best case scenario for the Clippers. It looked scary when the superstar’s leg seemed to buckle on his way down:
It appears George has avoided a serious injury that would require surgery, giving him a real chance to make an impact in the postseason.
The Clippers need some injury luck, as they spent last season in purgatory with Leonard and George both out with injuries. In the 2020-21 campaign, the team’s playoff run ended in the Western Conference Finals, a series Leonard missed with a torn ACL.
At +1300, the Clippers aren’t an awful bet, but bettors should be aware that every NBA champion since the 1996-97 season has finished the regular season in the top-8 in the NBA in net rating.
As of Wednesday, the Clippers are just 18th in the league in that statistic.
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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Author: Peter Dewey
March 22, 2023 | 3:47 pm
