LA Clippers: Patrick Beverley Out Vs. Mavericks

The LA Clippers will be without guard Patrick Beverley versus the Mavs as he deals with calf soreness

In the first quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Suns, Patrick Beverley left with calf soreness and did not return. Last night the team announced that Bev will not play in today’s game against Dallas due to the injury.

It sounds like this is mostly a case of the team making sure they are healthy and ready for the playoffs. Asked about Beverley’s injury, coach Doc Rivers said “I don’t think it’s bad. We’re going to be very cautious.” It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Beverley miss multiple games if the team is focusing on being extra cautious.

Bev’s production will be missed; he does a little bit of everything, averaging 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while providing his usual brand of high-motor defense (with the best Defensive BPM of his career!) and shooting 39% from three-point range.

The Clips will have to find a way to replace Pat Bev’s contribution on the court; in the 16 games he missed this season the Clippers are allowing 114.3 points per game, up from their season average of 109.6 points allowed.

That said, the Clippers offense is slightly better in the games Beverley missed, averaging 117.5 points per game compared to their season average of 116.1, so the answer might just be to blitz opponents while Pat’s recovering.

As frustrating as it is to lose another key piece during the seeding games, we can all agree that we’d rather have Bev healthy for the playoffs and potentially be the 3 seed, rather than rushing him back to keep the 2 seed and risking losing him once the really meaningful games start.

Keeping the team healthy for the postseason has really been the name of the game for the Clippers this year – between PG missing the start of the season and Kawhi Leonard load managing, the goal has always been playoff wins over regular-season wins, so Beverley’s absence is very on-brand.

The first game of Pat’s absence starts at 6:30 PM EST. Be sure to tune in and follow Clipperholics on Twitter for live commentary and some truly terrible puns throughout the game.