The LA Clippers are streaking, but now with the injury to Chris Paul (thumb) and Blake Griffin already out, how long can they continue to win?
The LA Clippers hunkered down on defense to shake their six-game losing streak, flip it, and now have a seven-game winning steak. But with 2:56 left in second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, the Clippers pulled Chris Paul from the game because of injury, not because of the 16-point lead. The following day the Clippers and the world found out Chris needs surgery to fix a torn ligament inn his thumb.
https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/821833088976048128
L.A. is playing great basketball, even enough to finish off the Thunder and win by 22. The problem going forward is how long can they keep racking up wins without Chris Paul while they are still without Blake Griffin for a little longer.
Paul had successful surgery on his thumb Wednesday. The timetable for the Clippers without Paul is six-eight weeks, and the Clippers have played well in Paul’s absence before, but Griffin was in the lineup. They now have to play without their two best players and try to stay afloat to keep up seeding to secure home court in the playoffs.
The Clippers are 2-7 without both Chris and Blake this year, so we can expect a drop off. I do not see them continuing their winning streak, yet while they can win somewhat without them (their strong win over the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this season without both), the sooner they get their stars back the better.
So, how can they adapt?