After re-aggravating his hand injury on Sunday, Danilo Gallinari will be held out of the Los Angeles Clippers’ matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.
There comes a point in every NBA season when you hear analysts and commentators talk about a team’s “magic number”. This is almost always in reference to playoff positioning, with the magic number being the amount of games a team must win to clinch either home court or a playoff spot.
Mathematically, the Los Angeles Clippers aren’t yet eliminated. In fact, they probably won’t be until just after the final game of the season. But to be safe, the Clippers probably need to win their remaining five games to punch their ticket.
They currently sit one game behind Denver for the ninth seed, two behind New Orleans for eighth, two and a half behind Minnesota for seventh, and three back from Utah for sixth. Realistically, that’s probably the extent of ground the team can make up.
Following tonight’s game with the Spurs, the Clippers will take on the Jazz, Nuggets, Pelicans, and Lakers. That’s far from a cakewalk, but allows the Clippers to catch up those above them rather quickly.
But now, to add insult to injury, Danilo Gallinari will not play in what could be the most important game of them all.
On Sunday, Gallinari took a few shots to his already damaged hand, upping the severity of the injury. Prior to tonight’s game, Doc Rivers confirmed that Gallo will sit due to the soreness.
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Active for just 21 games, Gallinari has put together a less-than-exceptional season. His injury history is well-known, and was before the Clippers made a trade for him. However, this is still the second-fewest games he’s played in a single season.
The Clippers will need big performances all around tonight, especially in Gallinari’s absence.