Paul George takes preliminary steps toward practice

Paul George’s damage restoration has progressed to the purpose that the Clippers star practiced Sunday in opposition to a number of the group’s coaches at their Playa Vista facility.

If George isn’t capable of return to sport motion earlier than the postseason begins, that wouldn’t essentially rule him out for finally making a return in the course of the playoffs, coach Tyronn Lue stated Monday.

Requested whether or not any of the injured Clippers who haven’t been dominated out for the season — a bunch that features George, Kawhi Leonard, Norman Powell and rookie guard Jason Preston — would want to ramp up with regular-season motion earlier than getting used within the playoffs, Lue stated no.

“I can’t say that,” the coach stated. “If it had been as much as me, I might say sure as a result of that’s fairly — to hit the playoffs going at 100, from zero to 100, that’s fairly powerful.

“But when the medical guys say they’re cleared and they can do this, that’s completely as much as them.”

Lue was requested if he’s preserving the figurative door open for returns by his injured contributors?

“Hell yeah I hold it open,” Lue stated.

George has not performed since Dec. 22, lacking the final 40 video games, due to a torn ulnar collateral ligament within the elbow of the suitable arm with which he shoots. Leonard has not performed since Sport 4 of the Western Convention semifinals final season due to a torn knee ligament. Powell performed three video games with the Clippers after being acquired in a commerce with Portland earlier than injuring the bone close to a toe. Powell’s strolling boot was eliminated final week however he isn’t but cleared for “something so far as contact,” Lue stated.

In current weeks, George started taking pictures along with his off hand, then his proper. The newest step of his rehabilitation, Lue stated, are four-on-four video games in opposition to coaches that expose George to “minimal contact” as a strategy to enhance his conditioning and gauge how the elbow responds after months of relaxation.

“Now we’re going to attempt to construct him up once we can, simply doing it with the coaches and ensuring it’s minimal contact and simply sort of see how he progresses every day,” Lue stated. “He’s getting higher so that’s good to see.”

However as Lue acknowledged, throwing a participant even of the caliber of George, Leonard or Powell instantly into postseason play can be asking an amazing deal — which is why how far the Clippers (36-37) final within the playoffs figures to nonetheless be decided extra so by the Clippers who’ve been accessible this season.

With the Clippers nonetheless nearly assured to complete eighth within the Western Convention — one web site that tracks playoff chances pegged the Clippers as having a 98% likelihood to remain there — and three weeks nonetheless to play within the common season, Lue’s message to gamers earlier than follow Monday was to not develop unhealthy habits even with their play-in event destiny largely sealed.

The prepractice speech adopted Friday’s loss in a rout in Utah throughout which the Clippers struggled in two areas Lue has prioritized: one-on-one protection to maintain opponents out of the paint and driving into the paint whereas preserving the ball shifting to curb the offense’s stagnation.

“Dropping Kawhi, dropping PG, getting Norm and dropping him in three video games, so the job that our veteran guys have carried out all season lengthy, together with our younger guys growing and getting higher, like we don’t need to simply throw it away,” Lue stated. “We need to proceed to construct good habits, proceed taking part in the suitable manner going into the play-in, to the playoffs. Don’t throw it away these final 9 video games as a result of whether or not we win or not that builds the suitable issues that we’re doing on each side of the basketball. They agreed.”

The 29-point loss to Utah additionally adopted a stretch of journey that included seven video games in 11 days. Lue known as the three-day break earlier than dealing with Denver on Tuesday badly wanted.

“The final two weeks have been actually, actually powerful,” ahead Nicolas Batum stated. “You may watch the final sport in Utah, we’ve nothing left. I feel, it’s not like we didn’t care. We tried in Utah. We actually tried, however we’ve nothing. … These two, three days have been good for us. Have a great follow at present and gotta get again to it tomorrow.”

UP NEXT

AT DENVER

When: 7 p.m. PDT, Tuesday

On the air: TV: Bally Sports activities SoCal, TNT; Radio: 570, 1330

Replace: Play-in preview? Denver (42-30) is now in seventh place after being jumped by red-hot Minnesota for sixth place. The Nuggets have misplaced two straight. Because the All-Star break, the Nuggets have the league’s Tenth-best internet score whereas the Clippers rank twenty second.