The Clippers left the East Coast on Friday with a 2-2 record in NBA Cup group play and still a slim chance of moving forward. All good news for a team that was missing two of its biggest stars.
Norman Powell sat out all four games, six total, because of a sore left hamstring that he tweaked in a victory against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 18. He was upgraded to questionable on Friday but stayed on the bench for the Clippers’ 93-92 loss in Cup play to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Powell, however, is expected to play when the Clippers (12-9) come home for a four-game homestand, starting with Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets (10-7).
The biggest, and perhaps most anticipated news, was on Kawhi Leonard, who has not played at all this season because of lingering right knee issues. Coach Tyronn Lue offered a positive update on his status.
“He’s progressing well,” Lue told reporters Friday in Minnesota. “He’s been able to get on the court and do some things on the court, which is good for us.
“So, just still checking every box, making sure that he’s doing the right things, and his workouts are really good and making sure we don’t let him get to the next step until he checks those boxes, so our medical staff has done a great job with that, making sure that we make sure he’s 100% when he comes back.”
The team has not given a timeline for Leonard’s return, but it is generally believed that the two-time Finals MVP could be out until after the new year. Still, Leonard likes what he has seen from the team so far this season.
“He’s very excited,” Lue said after Friday’s loss. “He’s very excited with how we’ve been playing, especially our attention to detail on the defensive end, he’s really excited. He’s excited about our new guys. And just the way we play and compete, you’ve got to win differently every night, and our guys are accustomed to that and whatever it takes to win, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Without Powell and backup center Mo Bamba for one game, the Clippers needed everyone else to contribute on their uneven four-game trip. They started with a victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, then got bombarded with 22 3-pointers in a lopsided loss to the defending Boston Celtics.
Next up were the last-place Washington Wizards. Behind James Harden’s 43 points, which included seven 3-pointers, the Clippers overwhelmed the Wizards 121-96, before heading to Minnesota.
The Clippers made too many mistakes, especially down the stretch against the young Timberwolves team, and it cost them a chance to advance in Cup play. The Clippers are 1-2 with one more qualifying game to play on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Trailing by one with 50 seconds to play, Kris Dunn fumbled the ball out of bounds after securing a defensive rebound, ending the Clippers’ chances.
“The details. Rebound, turnovers, couple of mistakes cost us in the end,” forward Nico Batum told reporters after the game. “We try to make plays on offense, but I mean, that game was all mistakes for 48 minutes.
“Then we lose by one after all those mistakes and that’s frustrating for sure.”
Denver at Clippers
When: 7 p.m. Sunday
Where: Intuit Dome
TV/radio: FDSNSC/AM 570