Paul George to miss second straight game as Clippers prepare for Hallway Series finale
The star could be seen on the court before practice getting shots up.
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — Paul George has missed four games all season. A fifth will be coming on Wednesday as the LA Clippers (37-19) get set to meet their cross-hall compatriots the Los Angeles Lakers (31-28) for the final time in Crypto.com Arena’s history.
When asked ahead of the team’s scheduled practice on Tuesday whether or not George would be available to participate in the session, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue simply said, “No.” Lue then revealed that George would also miss Wednesday’s game.
Despite the upcoming absence, George could be seen shooting on the court ahead of practice Tuesday.
George is still on pace to finish the season above the 65-game threshold that would make him eligible for awards and honors, clocking in at a pace that would presently put him at around 75 games for a full season.
Wednesday’s meeting will mark the 98th all-time meeting between the Clippers and Lakers since both teams moved into their present shared arena for the 1999-00 season but will be the 97th time the two have met in Los Angeles (they met once in Orlando during the NBA’s bubble restart).
The last meeting saw the Clippers emerge with a 127-116 victory that moved them to 50-47 all-time against the Lakers since 1999-00, or 50-46 if you take out the bubble matchup.
Lue mentioned on Tuesday to reporters that “except for when we play the Lakers, it’s a lot of fans coming to the gym, but overall [home games] feel like our own.”
In Lue’s tenure with the Clippers, his squad has beaten the Lakers 12 out of 14 times with an average score of 117-108. The Clippers have never lost at home to the Lakers under Lue.
“I think [making the arena their own] started with Doc [Rivers] when Doc came in and put our own, cover the banners, cover the banners and did all that,” Lue said. “Yeah, which he took a lot of heat, but it makes sense. We understand what the Lakers mean to the city and what they’ve done, but for us to have a place that we can call home and be comfortable, I think that was the right thing to do. And so with him doing that, it does feel more comfortable.”
Clippers guard Norman Powell has averaged 14.3 points through three games against the Lakers this season, shooting 42.5% in the process. Powell, who hails from San Diego, mentioned that both teams have done their best to make the shared arena their own on game nights.
“I think both organizations do a good job of putting their own touch on the arena when it’s a home game and it’s us playing against each other,” Powell said to reporters ahead of practice Tuesday.
“When it’s a Laker game, it’s a little more dark and intimate with how they black out the stands and like the focus, you can see all the lights are on the court and the Clippers have a more inclusive environment where everybody’s just trying to get everybody involved and into the game and to have different things going on.”
The environment, mainly the lighting, is the one big noticeable factor between Clippers and Lakers home games. As Powell notes, the lighting for Lakers games makes the court and the action on it the main attraction. Nothing takes away from it.
For the Clippers, the entire feeling in the arena is the attraction. Fans are encouraged to be raucous and rowdy and are rewarded with plenty of free gear such as t-shirts fired from a cannon operated by their mascot Chuck the Condor.
The atmosphere feels looser for Clippers games.
“It’s definitely a different feel when you walk in and like the setups that the Lakers have for their team and what we do,” said Powell. “But it’s not really a difference in how we approach the game or play in the arena. I’m used to sharing [an arena]. We shared it with the Maple Leafs in Toronto, so not the first time two teams, I dunno, it’s different sports, but yeah, nothing new.”
The Clippers, in an effort to go into their brand-new arena with a revamped identity, revealed their new logos and jerseys ahead of the 2024-25 season as they get set to play in their own venue for the first time in nearly 25 years, the Intuit Dome.
“It is big,” Lue said about the new arena. “To have your own place to call home every single night when you go into the arena, it’s yours. And so Mr. Ballmer and Gillian [Zucker], they’ve done a great job of bringing that to the Clippers. Like I said, the new uniforms, I think Lee Jenkins had something to do with that as well and just all the work that has taken to get to this point. And so I’m excited. I know our players are excited, the organization is excited, and hopefully our fans are excited to have a place where we can call home.”
Wednesday’s finale will be the end of an era — unless the Clippers and Lakers meet in the postseason.
Now imagine that for a send-off.