Los Angeles Clippers won’t have Danilo Gallinari vs Suns

OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Danilo Gallinari
OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 22: Danilo Gallinari

One night after suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers will travel to Phoenix with an injured Danilo Gallinari.

Danilo Gallinari will not play tonight when the Clippers take on the Phoenix Suns. He suffered a right hand contusion last night against the Golden State Warriors, which evidently is serious enough to have him sidelined.

Gallinari ruled out the possibility of a fracture earlier on Facebook, stating that “the first tests performed in the locker room has excluded breaks”.

We can’t speculate on his exact return, since the extent of the injury is still unknown. However, it doesn’t seem serious enough to hold him out for too long. He’ll join Patrick Beverley, Jawun Evans, and Avery Bradley on the bench, all of whom are hurt.

Wesley Johnson will most likely start in place of the injured Gallinari tonight. Johnson has performed well in 28 starts this season, averaging 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

The Clippers will travel to Phoenix tonight, looking to win their seventh consecutive game against the struggling Suns.

Devin Booker is always a threat, especially from three-point range. If you tuned in to the Three-Point Contest last weekend, you probably saw Booker beat out Tobias Harris in the final round. However, outside of Booker, the Suns don’t have many players to worry about.

DeAndre Jordan should score and rebound with ease, and with Gallinari out, Harris should see an increased role. This will be the first game that the pair has not played together this season.

The Clippers will take on the Suns tonight at 6:00 PST.