LA Clippers injury report vs. Pelicans, Digi Mart USA News: The LA Clippers haven’t played since Wednesday night’s loss to the Miami Heat. Many fans were hoping the long break would allow the team’s injured players to get healthy.
Unfortunately, the Clippers have an even longer injury list on Sunday.
Desperate to stop a seven-game losing skid, the Clippers are hosting the New Orleans Pelicans at the Intuit Dome. Once again, the Clippers will be very short-handed.
Ahead of the 9 p.m. EST tipoff, the Clippers listed Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Jordan Miller, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, and Isaiah Jackson as out on their injury report.
Ingram, Beal, Miller, and Konan Niederhauser have yet to make their season debuts. Beal is dealing with a nagging knee injury that popped up during the offseason ramp-up process.
Ingram is still rehabbing from his offseason heel and Achilles surgery. Miller will be out for several months after undergoing rotator cuff surgery.
Niederhauser has been sidelined since last season with a Lisfranc injury.
Jackson was a recent addition to the list. The 24-year-old center is dealing with left groin soreness.
After playing a season-low 13 minutes against Miami, Jackson will sit out Sunday’s game.
This leaves the Clippers very thin in the frontcourt. Brook Lopez will start and play as many minutes as he can handle as the only healthy center on the roster.
Behind him, rookie Baba Miller will probably play extended minutes as the backup center. Two-way player Nick Martinelli or Rui Hachimura may get a chance as a small-ball center.
Fortunately for the Clippers, they are playing one of the smaller teams in the league. The Pelicans are without center Yves Missi, who is dealing with a left knee contusion.
That means Karlo Matkovic will play at center, and Derik Queen will get significant minutes off the bench.
Queen and Zion Williamson are strong, physical big men, especially on offense. The Pelicans also have perimeter players like Jeremiah Fears, Dejounte Murray, and Bennedict Mathurin, who like to attack the rim.
The Clippers still need solid interior play and rim protection to have a chance against New Orleans.
New Orleans has exceeded expectations so far this season, sitting at 4-5. The Pelicans have a +1.4 net rating for the season, which suggests they may be better than their record indicates.
The Clippers cannot see themselves as favorites in this matchup, but they will be highly motivated to end the longest losing streak of Ty Lue’s coaching career.
