PLAYA VISTA — Clippers All-Star Paul George will not play in Wednesday night’s game against the Lakers because of ongoing soreness in his left knee.
It will be the second consecutive game that George will miss. Coach Tyronn Lue said George would not practice Tuesday, but he did put up shots before the team’s film session and practice.
“He’s hurt,” Lue said when asked why he wasn’t playing.
George sat out Sunday’s loss against the Sacramento Kings after playing significant minutes in back-to-back games at the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies last week. Guard Norman Powell started in his place.
Getting back to winning could be made more difficult without George in the lineup. The Clippers (37-19) have not strung together two victories since losing to the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 7 and must face the Lakers (31-28), who have won four of their past six games.
“We have to try to get back to the brand of basketball we were playing before the break,” Powell said. “It’s been, what, three games?
“And the way to do that is getting back to the winning habits, moving the ball, playing defense, being on a streak, how we were before. So, I think today’s practice is a good step in that direction.”
Powell said the All-Star break seemed to interrupt the habits that had led the Clippers to three lengthy winning streaks.
“Different guys have different things going on, so to get back into that mode always takes a few games,” Powell said. “I always like to joke, man, these guys are a little older too, so it takes a little bit for them to get their bodies back going.”
Lue said there are several reasons, including the stringent double teams that Kawhi Leonard is facing, for the team’s current habit of winning one, losing one.
“We look slow. Yeah, we look slow. Our pace, as far as getting to our sets early enough, getting our first trigger at 11 on the clock, 12 on the clock, well I guess that’s the recipe for disaster,” Lue said.
“We have to change the size of the floor, better get to our second or third options and we got to do a better job with that. And then just our offensive loads are like we’re turning the basketball over.”
Lue pointed out that during the stretch in which the Clippers went 26-5, they ranked 10th in the league in live-ball turnovers. Over the course of the last seven games, they have dropped to 29th. They averaged 14 turnovers per game during that stretch.
“That goes against your transition defense, that goes against not getting shots at the rim,” Lue said. “We just got to be better with that and so get back to taking care of the basketball, doing a better job of rebounding a basketball, trying to win a possession game.”
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Powell said the Clippers simply need to “clean up a few small things” to get back on track.
“No big things that we have to do or adjust or reinvent the wheel. It’s just a few stretches that teams go on runs and things.,” Powell said. “Having to climb out the hole in that third quarter against Sac, I think it was what, a 12-0 run or something like that that they had. So not having that coming out and with the mindset to start the game and going out of the half or coming out of the half to make an impact.
“I think if we’re able to sustain good quality basketball throughout the course of the game that gives ourselves a better chance to be in the game or be up in the fourth quarter.”