National Basketball Association

Clippers' Paul George expected to miss first-round series against Suns

Updated Apr. 16, 2023 3:14 p.m. ET

The LA Clippers will likely be without star guard Paul George for the entirety of their first-round matchup against the Phoenix Suns, ESPN reported Sunday.

According to reports last week, George was expected to miss at least the beginning of the series, though he was making "tangible" progress with his knee sprain.

George recently said on his podcast that his leg "is good" and he's "making progress."

"I'm feeling better," George said. "I've been working my butt off. I've been grinding literally every day. Six days of the week, I'm training. So, I'm going to give it every chance I've got, man. It's coming to the wire."

The All-Star guard has been out since March 21 when he landed awkwardly while grabbing a rebound in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, causing a right knee sprain. The Clippers ruled out George for the next 2-3 weeks the day following the injury, forcing him to miss the remainder of the regular season.

The Clippers managed to avoid the play-in tournament with George out for the last few weeks of the season, going 6-3 in their final nine games, including a win over the Suns in their regular-season finale to finish 44-38 on the season and earn the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

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